


I'll Be Home for Yuletide

by lyraonyx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Custody Battle, Depressed Harry, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Happy Severus Snape, Harry Potter Raises Teddy Lupin, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mistletoe, Obsessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Snowball Fight, Switching, Temperature Play, Virgin Severus Snape, Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:34:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 69,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28231755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyraonyx/pseuds/lyraonyx
Summary: When a miserable, lonely Harry meets a well-adjusted Severus at the Hog's Head on Christmas Eve, he finds a chance for a better life and a little holiday magic of his own.Not so much a Christmas story but more of a story that happens to take place during the holidays.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape, Neville Longbottom/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 119
Kudos: 378
Collections: Snarry Christmas 2020





	1. Part 1

# I'll Be Home for Yuletide

* * *

## PART I

Harry squinted against the cold and cast _Impervius_ on his glasses for the third time in ten minutes. Gods, this blizzard. Snow in every orifice, and he'd just walked from the Hogsmeade apparition point to the Hog's Head. He huffed a cloud of white from his scarf and tramped inside. A blast of blessed heat welcomed him as soon as he opened the door, and Harry let slip a small sigh. Thank goodness. 

He closed the door behind him, worked his half-frozen fingers free of his gloves, and kicked the snow from his boots, relieved to be away from the cold and the crowds alike. 

No one would expect the bloody _saviour_ to visit the Hog's Head on Christmas Eve, and that's what had driven him here, in one of his many undercover guises, just to escape the fawning idiots with nothing better to do than beg him for their millionth autograph. Honestly, what did they intend to do with so many? Harry shook his head at the sheer stupidity of it all and headed for the bar. 

Habit usually drove him to choose the darkest, loneliest corner, where the shadows and silence kept passersby from bothering him. With the bar so empty this snowy night, he anticipated a free hiding spot and a quiet, lonely drink. Perhaps not the most cheerful Christmas, but the holidays had lost their shine years ago. 

His feet followed the familiar path to 'his' seat, but—damn his accursed luck—even with every other seat in the house empty, someone else had found it first. A stranger sat under the dim light, slim figure and lank, dirty blond hair bowed over a steaming glass of something like firewhiskey. Damn. 

He grumbled under his breath and turned away in search of another hiding place, but then, the person in his seat spoke, and Harry's mind went blank. His feet stopped dead. Even his breath froze in his lungs, suspended in time, a time he had thought forever lost. 

"Well, well, Mister Potter. Not quite the image of light and endless holiday cheer the Prophet natters on about endlessly, are you?"

Harry worked down a tight lump in his throat. He swallowed. Twice. Three times. And still, his voice trembled as it passed his lips. 

"P-Professor Snape?"

The man snorted. "That title hasn't applied for ten years, boy. At least call me something that makes sense, if you must announce my identity to all and sundry."

"There's no one here." Harry turned and searched the man's figure for hints of the undercover hero he had both idolized and hated at varying points of his life. "And you revealed mine. How did you know?" 

The man raised an eyebrow, and Harry huffed at his own stupidity. "Right. Spy. You've probably seen through more powerful glamours than mine, yeah, Snape?"

"Indeed. And that is no better an appellation than your first abysmal choice."

Harry hesitated, but when Snape neither scowled nor waved him away, he took the seat next to him. "What would you have me call you then? Marley, perhaps?"

Snape's lips, so different to what Harry recalled, curled up in the hint of a smirk. "I see a decade out of war has taught you a sense of humour."

"I was always funny, Snape. You just had a giant stick wedged up your arse."

Snape laughed—honest to goodness _laughed_. 

Laughed… like Harry had forgotten how. 

He looked away, stunned and a little sick to think of how much he had changed, how much he had _lost_ since the days when laughter came easily and holiday magic still sparkled in his spirit.

Aberforth, still kicking after all these years, trudged to Harry's seat. "What can I get for you?"

Harry usually ordered scotch, but the thought of spending another Christmas alone with nothing but the burn of alcohol to fight back the darkness made something in him curl up and die a little. He glanced to Snape's hand, still the long-fingered, elegant appendage he recalled, and the glass it held. Sparks danced on the surface of his drink. How long had it been since anything in Harry's life had brought sparks or even warmth to his dreary existence?

"I-I'll have whatever he's having."

Aberforth eyed him, then shrugged and went to pour a glass of smoking, sparking amber. "I'd drink that slowly if I were you."

Harry took the warning with a nod and sipped the liquid within. Oh. That was nice. It tasted of spices and apples and warmed his throat going down. He had thought to take another sip, but as soon as it hit his stomach, fiery heat rushed through him down to his toes. He gasped and sipped a little more, and shivered at the instant inferno born under his skin. 

Damn. It was good to feel so _alive_ after six months of just existing. 

He raised his glass for one last sip—because, _gods_ , he had missed feeling warm inside for so long—but those slim fingers wrapped around his wrist and guided him to place the glass on the table.

"Gryffindors. You never seem to learn _caution_. Stop before you combust."

Harry shot him a dark look. "I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Dark, soulful eyes, the only feature other than those glorious hands that resembled the man Harry remembered in his dreams, met his own and held him prisoner in a searching gaze. Merlin help him, one look, and Snape had stripped away all Harry's defences, all his posturing and pretense. The man stared straight into the hollow spaces of Harry's soul and beyond, and Harry could do nothing but let him. Nothing but sit and be judged, because he had always fallen short under that piercing stare, and surely the world hadn't changed _that_ much.

"I think, Harry, that is precisely what you need."

Harry clutched his glass and looked away, cheeks hotter than the fire the drink had started within him. How the hell had Snape known? He couldn't have seen so far into the dark recesses of Harry's mind in one glimpse, so—wait. _Wait._

Harry turned a sharp glare on the man. "That's illegal, you know."

"What, dominance?" Snape snorted. "I thought you were an auror, Potter."

"You called me Harry two seconds ago. And you know damn well what I meant."

"Hm. I suppose I do, but I haven't used any illegal spy tactics on you. I don't need legilimency to read you, Potter, when you're all but begging for someone to tell you what to do with yourself."

Harry's ears burned, too. "Cut the crap, Snape."

"Call me Severus. Or Dominus, if it suits." 

"Bastard. I'm not calling you—" Harry choked on his own words. "Did you really just give me permission to…?"

"Call me by my name?" Snape lifted his glass in a mock toast. "Yes, I believe I did." He sipped his drink and shivered, and Harry's throat ran dry. "The latter title was offered honestly, too."

Harry stared into his drink, unwilling to meet Snape's eyes for fear he would see how close he had come to the truth. "You're mad."

Snape chuckled darkly. "Perhaps, but if I am, I think I've earned the right, don't you?"

Harry didn't know what to say to that.

"Potter, what are you doing here tonight? Don't you have a wife and three mini-Potters waiting at home?"

Harry closed his eyes against a rush of grief, so sudden and so powerful, he felt his very soul freeze. Like a dementor's kiss, the words had sucked the life right out of him, left him empty and hollow, like the used-up shell of a has-been hero he saw in the mirror every day. 

"Potter?" Snape's voice held a note of concern. That drink must have been stronger than Harry thought, still not strong enough, though. Not enough to make him forget the man he used to be.

"Not exactly." He took a gulp of his drink and gasped at the burn. Oh, damn, that was a mistake. His entire body was on fire. He panted and choked and clung desperately to the warm, soft thing his fingers had found in his rush for ballast. Someone dragged him somewhere—or maybe carried him—and a blast of frigid air knocked the sense back into him with the force of the Hogwarts Express. 

Frigid?

Harry opened his eyes to a wall of swirling white. He was back in the snow, shaking all over and clinging desperately to Severus' hand. Hell, forget his hand, he was half draped over his shoulder and holding on for dear life. 

With a gasp, he leapt back and fought against a rush of dizziness. Oh, that drink was definitely potent.

"What are you—what the hell, Snape?" He had to shout to be heard over the howling winds.

"I did tell you to call me Severus, didn't I?" Snape eased back, holding Harry's shoulders to steady him. "Are you all right?"

Harry coughed and stared at him through the endless blur of snow and the condensation rimming his lenses. Snape had either glamoured his hair blond or dyed it, and his face didn't have the same angular sharpness he remembered from Hogwarts, the features altered just enough to make him unremarkable, unrecognizable to the general public, but it was still Snape under the mask. Still the hook-nosed, sharp-tongued, greasy-haired, cold-as-hell bastard he remembered. 

Only… his hair was clean. His nose didn't seem as large anymore—had he altered it, too, or had Harry's perception changed? Snape's tongue didn't leave gashes in its wake any longer, either.

"I… don't get it. Since when do you care, Snape?"

"I've always cared about you."

Harry scowled and stepped into Snape's personal space, temper flaring. "Yeah? You _cared_ about me when you ripped my adolescent mind to shreds and compared me to 'my sainted father' as an _eleven year old_? Come off it. I know you knew I was abused. If you can see…." His face flushed. "What you did in there in ten seconds flat, there's no way you didn't put the pieces together when I was in school, but you never did a damned thing to help me!"

"Actually, I reported it to Albus every year and cursed your relatives when he did not seem inclined to intervene."

Harry choked off his words for the second time in ten minutes. "You…?"

Snape sighed and bundled Harry back into the bar. "Yes." Away from the storm, they no longer needed to shout. "In Albus' eyes, your protection against the dark lord _always_ outweighed the risk that lesser threats posed to your wellbeing."

It took a moment for Harry's alcohol-slurred mind to process the tacit implications of Snape's words. Dumbledore hadn't _allowed_ Severus to be kind. Hadn't cared about the damage his relatives and the war wreaked on his psyche, never mind that it had cost him everything.

He slumped, defeated, and wrapped his arms about his chest. "I-I was never anything more than a pet weapon to him, was I?"

He'd known, of course his jaded, adult eyes had seen the flaws in Dumbledore's 'guidance' over the years, but hearing it validated from another source—gods. It made everything real, made the hurt inside him sting that much more. 

"Just his precious golden boy." Harry gave a bitter snort. "Guess I'm more than a bit tarnished now."

Severus' eyes held more emotion than Harry had ever seen. "I understand. Truly, I do."

If the old goat had used anyone harder than Harry, he was staring at him now.

"Yeah. I reckon you do."

Severus rubbed Harry's shoulder. "You shouldn't be alone tonight. Do you honestly have no one waiting at home?"

Harry flinched and looked away, and that was answer enough.

"I see." Severus hesitated, a heartbeat upon which the world balanced. "If you are amenable, I…."

Harry forced his gaze back to Severus' face. "What?"

Severus' fingers clenched around his sleeves and his throat bobbed. If Harry didn't know better, he would think the man was nervous.

"I have no one waiting either. Just an empty home and a second seat by my fireplace that rarely sees any use."

Harry's heart careened into his throat and his stomach jolted. Had he heard that right? Severus hadn't really—had he? No, Harry _must_ have misunderstood.

"I…." He dragged his wits back in order and forced some small measure of composure into his voice. "What are you saying?"

Severus' posture tensed, and a fine tremor passed through his hands. "I-I am asking you to—to stay for the holidays."

"Wait, as in _with_ you?"

Severus flinched, a slight movement that shocked Harry down to his core. "In my house, yes. I _do_ have a guest room, Potter, so you would not be spending Yule in my bed." His shoulders slumped a little, and something sorrowful shadowed his eyes. "Your company is—is all I am asking for."

Harry had to take a moment to breathe. To reassure himself that no, this was not another empty fantasy. "You honestly want me to spend the night with you?" A hot flush spread over his face. "I-I mean, in my company."

"Yes. I do." 

Severus said it in a soft, unwavering tone that rang with sincerity. By gods, was this _real_?

The man looked up, dark eyes full of emotion like Harry had never seen before. "Would you spend the rest of Yuletide with me, Harry?"

Yuletide?

"You celebrate Yule, not Christmas?"

Severus nodded. "To celebrate Christmas, one must either be Christian or interested in celebrating it in the secular way, and I am neither."

"Oh. Are you religious at all?"

Severus stared out the window, watching the snow crystals hammer the panes. "I believe there is power in seeking the old gods. As for the newer religious ways of 'my way or the highway?' No, not so much."

"Hm." Harry stood beside him and watched the snow, too. "The old ways, it's where we get our power, isn't it?"

"Some believe so, yes. In my experience, true magic is a quirk of genetics. Either way, the old gods favour those who carry the gift of power in their blood more so than the 'suffer ye not a witch to live' crowd."

Harry snorted. "Makes sense." He eyed the man over his shoulder. "But not every Christian is a berk, you know."

"My experiences of the more devout variety have not been great. My father was…."

" _Oh_." Harry turned to face him again, his smile tinged by old sorrows and shadows of a past best left behind. "I could see how that would set you against the faith in general."

Severus shook his head slightly. "It isn't that I am set against the faith. The Christians who understand that their religion is not the only valid religion do not trouble me. Minerva was a Christian of that variety, and we got on well despite the masks I was forced to wear in those days. I simply do not ascribe to the same beliefs."

"Fair enough." Harry watched Severus' profile. Merlin, he had missed seeing that face every day, hooked nose and all. "Severus, look at me." Severus jolted and turned back to Harry, and the uncertainty and trepidation in his face hurt. Harry kept his voice soft so as not to add to his fear. "I guess I don't know why you're asking _me_ to spend the holidays with you."

Severus held his gaze, expression open and frank despite his shaking shoulders and pinched brow. "Few understand me, Potter. You, I think, have seen as much darkness of the world as I."

Harry shuddered. "I doubt that very much, Severus."

Severus accepted his statement with a nod. "That you admit this much is more understanding than I find from most."

Harry searched Severus' face, then let his eyes skitter away under the piercing heat of that unrelenting gaze. "I—all right, but I'm not interested in… _that_."

"Certainly not." Severus gave him a smile that looked almost _shy_. "I intend to woo you first."

Harry stared, unsure if the man was screwing with him or not. No, it had to be a joke. Severus Snape would sooner gnaw off his own arm than—but no, Harry was thinking of the Hogwarts Snape again, wasn't he? This Snape— _Severus_ —he was a wild card. 

Harry swallowed hard. Woo him? Well, he could always turn the man down if he didn't want it, but…. 

He did. He'd wanted Severus in the back of his mind for years. He had never believed it possible, so he hadn't dared let those secret fantasies see the light of day, but here he was, standing in the middle of one of them, and Severus thought he would turn him down? Ha. No chance of that.

Severus would understand him better than she had, Harry was certain. He wouldn't lose the plot if a nightmare woke Harry up in the middle of a panic attack. He might not _care_ , but surely it couldn't be worse than what Harry had already lived through, right? And Severus couldn't take their kids and run—there wouldn't be any kids with two men to speak of. Well, adoption was a possibility, Harry supposed, but probably not one Severus would embrace. Well, he already had three kids and a godson he had adopted anyway, and he watched Ron and Hermione's kids a lot, too. It wasn't as if he needed more.

Though having one who lived with him all the time would be nice. Or just having his kids home for a holiday or two and not having to choose between crashing Ron and Hermione's family moments while mourning the loss of his own or doing the latter alone. 

God, how he missed his babies.

Harry shuddered and closed his eyes. He shouldn't be thinking of this now. No way in hell would he ever make it far enough with Severus for that to be a concern, and if they _did_ make it that far, they could talk about it then. 

Wouldn't that be like some sort of Christmas miracle?

Shame he had stopped believing in miracles years ago. All the joy and wonder had vanished from his life right about the time his ex-wife had ripped his kids away from him and stolen damn near full custody of them, simply because Harry had the courage to admit he was gay. 

At least he still had joint custody of Teddy. Andromeda hadn't allowed Ginny to steal that. Even so, Harry couldn't bear to tear Teddy away from his siblings just to ease his own broken heart, so that meant he didn't get to see his godson nearly as much as he wanted either.

No, Harry definitely didn't believe in miracles any longer.

So what should he do? Severus probably wasn't half as invested in this as Harry was, and if he found out how Harry felt—what then? Would he lose all hope of that secret dream he had cherished so long?

Or would they have a chance to start something beautiful, something _real_? 

That would, again, take a miracle. The best he could hope for was a few weeks of transient happiness before it all came crashing down on his head again. Maybe it wouldn't be as awful though. He wouldn't lose more kids this time, though losing Severus would definitely crush him.

"Harry?" Severus looked at him with concern in his eyes, and….

And fear. 

"I'm just… considering, Snape."

Severus let a small flinch show on his features. "Please call me Severus. Even if you are about to turn me down and…." He swallowed and looked away. "At least grant me that small concession."

Turn him down and _what_? Harry took in the man's posture—curled in on himself and awaiting a blow—his flushed face, downcast eyes, and trembling form, and his mind reeled. It couldn't be true, but Harry had learned to read others long ago as part of becoming a senior auror, and all his senses were telling him something incredible.

Severus _was_ invested. Maybe even as deeply so as Harry. He could hardly credit it, but he hadn't been wrong in reading others for a long time. Severus wanted this, badly, and Harry might break _his_ heart by turning him away.

Did that mean he honestly had a chance? Was it… safe to believe again, just for this one, precious moment?

Really, what did he stand to lose by trying? Severus _might_ break Harry's heart eventually, yes, but then Harry would be no worse off than he was now. And if he dared to open his heart, to take this chance and step through the door Severus had opened….

He might just find some Christmas magic still left in the world after all.

Hell. What could it hurt? Severus was obviously interested, and not with his body alone. As long as he understood that Harry had… limits, why not give it a chance? Harry was damned tired of being alone, and even if they only ended up talking tonight, it was better than spending half the night and most of his paycheck here, pretending his problems didn't exist and trying to piss the holidays away.

He steeled his courage and held Severus' gaze. "All right."

Severus blinked several times as if he didn't understand. "All…?"

"Yeah, I'll go to yours with you."

"Oh." Severus' cheeks darkened a shade further and his throat bobbed. "I was certain you would… find something more pressing to do." The too-wet glisten in his eyes left Harry reeling and aching inside at once.

Damn. He hadn't meant to hurt him. Harry wrapped his fingers around Severus' hands and stroked the man's palms, hoping to take his pain away with touch.

He didn't dare risk revealing his heart yet. His feelings might be strong enough to break this tentative hope to pieces before it had a chance to grow.

"Like what?" Harry kept his tone light and jocular despite the pounding in his chest and the tremor in his hands. "Stare at the walls and twiddle my thumbs?" He couldn't help stroking said appendages over Severus' knuckles. "Get pissed and moan about the train wreck that is my life? Walk down to the Leaky for a bite and get groped by every Tam, Deb, and Sherry along the way?" 

He batted his eyelashes and shifted his voice into an impression of one of those fawning idiots he never escaped for long. Especially not since they had learned his wife had left him high and dry. 

"'Oh, your eyes really _are_ as green as the summer grass, _Harry_! Just like your mum. May I have your autograph, _Haaaarry_ , even though I already asked a hundred times? I'm papering my bathroom, you see, and I really adore how much your chicken scratch adds to the feng shui.'" Harry scoffed in disgust. "Yeah, thanks, but no thanks."

Severus laughed again, and even Harry cracked a smile at the way mirth lit his eyes from within. 

"Have they really suggested using your autograph as wallpaper?"

"No, but what else could they do with that many?"

By the way Severus smirked, Harry decided he _really_ didn't want to know.

"Well, to spare the forests that must inevitably fall to the demand for your chicken scratch, as you call it—" 

Harry snorted.

"I will apparate you to mine."

Harry groaned.

"You changed your mind?"

"Again, my life isn't exactly the height of glamour these days. No, I just don't relish going back out in _that_." He waved to the window. 

Severus leaned in to murmur in halting tones, "Perhaps if you… stay close, the cold will… not be as much of an issue."

Harry breathed in sharply. Had he _really_ just…? "Did—did you just sell me a line?"

"That depends."

"On?"

Severus dropped his gaze to the floor. His voice shook a little. "A-are you buying?"

Harry's pulse rushed in his ears. Oh god, was this _real_? Severus was acting as if….

No. It _couldn't_ be. There was no way.

But Harry's senses hadn't lied in a long time. Could he really have his dream this time? Or would it vanish into smoke the minute he reached for it?

He took a steadying breath and gathered his courage. He would never know—and probably regret it all his life—if he didn't take this chance now.

His voice came out unsteady, too. "You… really want that? You want _me_?"

Severus took a shaky breath. "I left Britain for more than one reason, Potter."

Oh god. Him. Severus had left because of _him_. Because he had chosen Ginny in the naïve hope of fulfilling everyone else's hopes for him, but it had come at the cost of his own.

And Severus' hope, too.

He held Severus' hands close to his heart. "H-Harry. Call me Harry, Severus."

Severus gave him a slight smile. "Harry then." His fingers laced with Harry's, and Harry squeezed his palms.

"Why did you leave, Severus?" His voice came out soft and low.

Severus looked away, cheeks red and body shaking hard. "I-I… it was…."

Merlin. The poor man was terrified. 

Maybe a little encouragement would be okay. Just a soft touch to let Severus know he was safe. 

Praying his Gryffindor bravado didn't backfire this time, Harry cupped his palm around Severus' hot cheek. "Hey. It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you. Just tell me, okay? I just—I need to hear…."

"Oh. Yes, I…." 

Severus leaned into his hand and closed his eyes, and Harry's stomach swooped. Real. It was _real_. Severus did care, _had_ cared about Harry for a long, long time. 

Harry swept his thumb over Severus' cheekbone. "It's okay."

Severus shivered a little. "Harry, may we speak about this at my home? It isn't something I want to go into here."

Harry glanced around at the deserted pub and frowned. "Well, yeah, but…." He shuddered at the snowy mess outside. "Hold that thought." He tugged Severus towards a red curtained door almost concealed in a shadowy corner. "Oi, Aberforth. I'm taking my date into the red room."

Severus gasped and clutched Harry's hand. "Harry?"

"You heard me."

Severus' breath came out in a shuddering rush. "Oh."

Aberforth called, "Aye, and are you wanting a meal this time?"

"Not me. Unless you're hungry, Severus?"

Severus shook his head, apparently unable to speak. Harry rubbed his palm. 

"Just our drinks then." He levitated them behind him and guided Severus through the curtained door. 

Aberforth had made some effort at decorating in here, though the man had little interest in holidays and most of his customers outside the DA followed the same lines. A holly garland hung high upon the oak-paneled walls, and fairy lights decorated the window sashes. He had given the usual blood red carpet a pattern of holly and mistletoe, and the red curtains were Christmas green now. With fairy lights atop the dividers between each booth and candles on the tables, it actually looked… nice. Well, as nice as the Hog's Head ever got.

Severus looked around in surprise. "What is this place? I did not know it was here."

"Yeah, you have to be invited in to see the door. It's where Ariana's portrait brought the Hogwarts kids during the last year of the war. Aberforth built this place so the students could eat in peace and not worry about being harassed for a few moments of the day. It—well, it's become sort of a gathering spot for the DA, though none of them will be here tonight, given most of them have families and all."

Severus let Harry lead him to a booth in the corner and watched him cast several privacy wards, Severus' own muffling spell among them. "And are you willing to tell me why you are here this evening? I had thought you had a family, too."

Harry dropped into the booth beside Severus and stared at the tabletop. His eyes burned and his stomach clenched, the pain blindsiding him once more. The only difference was that this time, long fingers carded through his hair and a gentle hand held his own. Harry took a shuddering breath and pressed into the warmth of Severus' side.

"I—I've never actually talked about it, not to anyone who isn't already intimately familiar with all the details."

Severus wrapped his arm around Harry's waist and tugged him closer. "I am willing to listen if you wish to speak."

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat. "It—it's going to tear me to pieces. Are you sure you want to—"

"Harry, you held me in your arms when I was dying. You have seen me at my very worst and suffered cruelly under my authority for years, and still you saved my life and fought for my freedom. My support is the least I can offer after all you have done for me, in spite of everything I did _to_ you."

"What you did to me—it didn't matter, Severus. The only thing that mattered at the end of the day was that you were a bloody hero, and you didn't deserve Azkaban."

Severus gave him a half-smile. "You were the only one besides Minerva to see that in those days, however, and the only one at all who was willing to go to war for me. So now, when you are in need, I can do nothing less but be here to help you." His face flushed, and he lowered his head. "And I—it is where I wish to be regardless."

"At my side?"

Severus closed his eyes. "Yes," he whispered.

Harry turned into his arms and rested his head on Severus' shoulder. "Then, will you hold me like this?"

Severus' breath shuddered against Harry's scalp, and strong, slender arms pressed him closer. "Like this?"

"Perfect." Harry and held on to Severus' shoulders. "Well, you _were_ right. I did marry Ginny, and we did have three kids: James Sirius, Lily Luna, and… Albus Severus."

Severus brushed a gentle kiss against Harry's hair. "Thank you."

"Mm. You were my hero, Severus. I had to fight damn hard for his middle name. She only let me use it because I compromised on letting her call him Albus, though I never use his first name. Not the full thing anyway. Can't bring myself to call him that unless I have to.

"It was worth it, though. Al adores you, too. He's trying to learn potions, you know? I mean, he's only six yet, so I was only teaching him the basics and a few play potions for kids, but he's already fascinated."

Severus rubbed his palm down Harry's back in slow strokes that eased the ache in his soul. "I would be happy to help train him, and any of your children who are interested."

Harry shuddered. "If only you could." He swallowed a rush of pain, so he could still speak. "Well, everything was okay between Ginny and I during the day, but at night… things changed. For one, I had trouble touching her. She was what I was supposed to want, what everyone expected me to want, but all the time I was with her, I slowly came to realize that _I_ didn't want her like everyone thought I should. We were the fairytale couple to the press and even to my best friends, but every day, I wanted out more and more."

"Why did you stay so long then?"

"Well, because I didn't understand what I wanted." Harry lifted his head and held Severus' gaze. "And, because… I thought the life I dreamed of was beyond my reach. I thought the man I'd longed to hold me was in love with my mother."

Severus' breath caught and his eyes widened. "H-Harry? Are you saying…?"

Harry took a bracing breath and nodded, though it cost him half his soul to admit it. "I-I get it if you aren't there yet, if this is just a fling for you, or even if it's substituting for _her_ , but to me—it's… e-everything I've wanted for years."

Severus' eyes glimmered. "Harry, you—all this time?"

"Y-yeah." Harry winced and added in a rushed, shaky tone, "N-no pressure, though. I never expected this much, so it's okay if you don't feel—"

Severus shut him up by pressing their mouths together. Harry gasped and froze. Severus. Severus was _kissing him_! 

And he wasn't _dreaming_!

He gave a soft whimper and buried his hands in Severus' silky hair. As their glamours only altered their appearances, Harry felt the delicious firmness of those thin, but supple lips against his own, the sharp, angular jaw beneath his fingertips, the narrow ridge of high cheekbones and the slim contours of Severus' face underneath. He hadn't any wrinkles yet besides fine lines at the corners of his eyes and across his forehead, but then, Severus was still young for a wizard, still just nearing the end of his first quarter of life. 

Each detail cemented the idea in Harry's head—this _was_ his Severus, and kissing him in reality was better than any dream.

Severus pulled back with a soft pant. "I was never in love with Lily."

Harry swallowed hard, loving the taste of Severus on his tongue. "You weren't? But your patronus…."

"Until approximately a quarter of the way through your sixth year, it remained the same raven patronus I have had my entire life."

Harry's eyes widened and his heart sputtered. "You—oh, god, Severus! Your doe—it was for me?"

"Lily's patronus was a sheep. Mine is now the mate to yours."

"Oh, god. Severus, all this time, love?"

Severus shivered at the endearment. "Always," he whispered.

Harry blinked back a wet sting and clung to Severus' hand, desperate for something to anchor him to reality. "It was for me. That memory."

"Yes. You are the only one I have ever loved, Harry, and I think you are the only one I ever will."

Harry's heart stopped. Love. Severus _loved him_. Had loved him for twelve years in spite of Harry's failed marriage and their rocky past, had loved him without a shred of hope it would ever be returned.

Harry didn't believe in miracles, but damned if he wasn't living one now.

" _Severus_." He cupped Severus' face and kissed him breathless, tears racing down both of their faces. "It… it's the same for me. I wanted to love her, but I never could. It's always been you."

Severus grabbed him up for a kiss. Their noses bumped, but Harry didn't care. He just shifted his angle and crushed their mouths together. The way Severus surged up and whimpered against his lips relieved the fears still lingering about Harry's heart and washed it away with love. Oh god. He could hardly breathe for emotion, couldn't stop his tears. 

Severus pulled back shaking and just as overcome. "H-Harry, is this real? Am I dreaming?"

Harry gave a tearful laugh. "I-I've been asking myself the same thing." He sniffled and pressed their foreheads together. "It's real, love. I can hardly believe it myself after so long with no hope, but it's real."

Severus slid his hands into Harry's. "It seems holiday magic still exists, even for two jaded men who have forgotten how to believe."

Harry squeezed his hands. "Yeah. Yeah it does."

Another soft, shy kiss whispered against Harry's lips. It was tender and sweet and _perfect._

It really was magic.

Harry whispered against Severus' lips, "The glamours—drop them. I want to see your true face."

Severus nodded. "Will you release yours as well? At least until we must leave this sanctuary and brave the night again?"

Harry released the magic holding his altered appearance in place and watched Severus' features shift into a much healthier version of the face Harry remembered from his childhood. Severus didn't look a day over thirty now, with the broken edges of his appearance fixed and his hair falling in ebony sheets over his shoulders. It was still Severus, with sharp features and his infamous nose, but the crooked bend had gone from the bridge, and his teeth were white and straight.

"Bloody hell. You're gorgeous, love."

Severus flushed and dropped his head. "You needn't flatter me, Harry. I know what I look like, and your devotion is gift enough."

"But you haven't seen yourself through my eyes. That changes everything." 

Severus brought Harry in for a soft, loving kiss. His hands trembled in Harry's hair and his breath hitched with every new touch. Harry couldn't get enough. 

This was what he had missed kissing Ginny. Much as he had loved her, he had never been _in_ love. Kissing Ginny had left him empty and a little bored, but kissing Severus had his entire body aflame. 

The sparky drink didn't compare. 

Harry pressed in closer, aching for more of the man he had loved in secret so long, and slipped his tongue between those parted lips. Severus gasped and went rigid. Shit. Was he not ready for—but then, Severus melted into him with a whimper, and Harry realized the truth.

This was his first kiss. The first time anyone had tasted his sweet mouth. 

The thought set Harry on fire all over again. 

Harry pulled back gasping. "Gods. Gotta—gotta stop, love. Damn."

Severus dropped his head. "I know I am inexperienced. Perhaps with time, it will be better."

"Love, if you get much better, I won't survive your kisses. God. I'm on fire."

Severus gave him a hesitant smile. "You approve then?"

" _Approve_? I had to stop because if I didn't, I'd end up taking your clothes off here and now, and somehow I don't think Aberforth would appreciate that."

Severus chuckled, cheeks red. "I've never actually…."

"Oh gods, you're a virgin?" Harry buried a groan in his hands. "I'm not going to make it. Gonna burn up just thinking about—ooh. Merlin help me."

Severus whispered in his ear, "I want to feel it, for you to unwrap me like a gift and bring me pleasure like I've never known."

Harry whimpered. "Keep that up and that's just what you'll get." He panted against Severus' shoulder. "Can you feel me, love?"

Severus shivered. "Are you asking…?"

Harry took his hand and guided him to touch between his legs, to caress the fiery heat threatening to overwhelm him with trembling, curious fingers. 

"Oh." Severus caught his lip between his teeth and explored the shape of him. "Oh, you truly do enjoy my touch."

"Y-yeah." Harry gasped and let his head fall back, hips arching into his cautious exploration. "Ah, gods. Severus…."

Severus acquainted his fingers with every curve, leaving Harry shattered under his touch. The auror's nails dug welts in the table, his toes curled in his boots, and his spine arched. 

"Damn." Harry gently guided Severus' hand away. "You're going to have me coming in a minute."

Severus shivered. "Truly? Just from my hand on you?"

" _Gods_ , yes." Harry panted harshly. "Merlin. Feels so good."

Severus swallowed hard and whispered, "Would you…?"

"Mm. Later, love. I want it to be special, not a quick grope in the bar. You deserve more than that for your first time."

Severus smiled a little and rested his head on Harry's shoulder. "I am looking forward to it."

"Gods, so am I."

Harry caressed Severus' back and hair until he calmed. "You okay now?"

"Yes."

Harry nuzzled Severus' cheek, heart full and warm for the first time in much too long. He sat up smiling. "Do you want to talk more, or do you want to go—" A figure stepped into the curtained doorway, and the smile slid off Harry's face.

Red hair, brown eyes, freckles, and a scowl deeper than the cracks in Harry's heart. 

"Oh, it's _you_."

Harry looked away from the visage of his former wife, expression blank and mind shielded in ten layers of occlumency shields. 

"Let's go, Severus," he whispered. "Please."

Severus nodded and helped Harry to his feet. "Come. We shall—"

" _You_!" Ginny approached with a snarl and rounded on Harry. "How _dare_ you bring that monster here? This is supposed to be our _sanctuary from him_!"

Harry's temper exploded. "Sanctuary from _whom_? The man who kept Voldemort from killing you all?" 

Severus flinched, and Harry squeezed his hand. 

"It's okay. She's out of turn."

"The hell I am! He tortured us!"

Ginny's friends paused in the doorway.

A mousy-haired boy called in an uncertain voice, "Um, Ginny? Should we go?"

Harry scowled at her and gave his date an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Severus. Let's just go."

Severus nodded and started towards the door, only to find Ginny's wand pointed at his chest.

"I should curse you where you stand for what you did to us all."

Severus did not move. Only the faint tremor in his hands betrayed his emotion.

"Miss Weasley, I did what I could to shelter you from the true monsters. Granted, I could not spare you every pain, but I spared you as much as I could."

"Liar. You—"

Harry knocked her wand out of her hands and grabbed her wrists. "Did you forget I'm a senior auror, Ginny? Touch him or threaten him again, and I will arrest you."

"You can't do that!"

"I can and I will." Harry narrowed his eyes. "And just what the hell are you doing here anyway? Where are the kids? You're supposed to be spending the holidays with them."

Ginny huffed. "They're fine. They're with Mum."

"So, let me get this straight. You demanded full custody in court and stole my kids away from me. You demanded to have them on the holidays because 'I lied to you' and that, apparently, means I am not a responsible father, but here you are now, dumping the kids off on your mum on _Christmas Eve_?"

Ginny flushed, but didn't back down. "Who are you to talk? You're here shagging the traitor in our sanctuary!"

"Leave Severus out of this."

"Leave him _out_? You named our son after him! At least I understand why now."

Harry struggled to keep his calm. "I named our son after a hero."

"No, that was me. You named him after the monster that killed the hero."

Severus looked away, expression racked with pain and guilt. Harry rubbed his back. 

"Come on. Let's go. You don't need to hear this."

Ginny gave a dark laugh. "What, the truth? Hurts, doesn't it?" She scoffed. "Traitor."

Severus flinched and shielded his chest, and Harry's resolve snapped.

"You want to hear the truth?" He turned, magic sparking on his skin, and stared down his ex. "Okay, here's some truth for you. Your beloved hero _forced_ Severus to spy rather than granting him sanctuary and used my mother to do it. Then, after their deaths, he ignored every child protection law that exists and dropped me off with magic-hating muggles he knew would abuse me all for the sake of raising me as his weapon against evil."

Ginny reeled back a step. "That's not—"

"Oh, it's true. Severus, in fact, can verify it as he warned Dumbledore every single year I was in school under the old man's supposed leadership that the Dursleys were abusing me. So did Ron, Hermione, the twins, your parents, Bill, and even Percy. Every last one of them told Dumbledore they were hurting me—and your hero did _nothing_. He wanted me abused, do you know why? So I would trust the only old man who was ever kind to me on the surface and value love enough to die for it. And he did the same thing to Severus."

"Harry," Severus pleaded.

"No details, Severus?"

Severus clung to Harry's hand. "Please."

"Okay. Shh. It's all right." Harry turned back to Ginny, but kept his voice low for his distraught lover's sake. "Severus doesn't want to relive his past, and I don't blame him, but the truth is that Dumbledore let him suffer just as much as he did for me. Then he pretended to offer him a way out, but really, it was just another prison, again, just like he did for me. Still, Severus loved him, because that's what Dumbledore wanted. Do you notice a pattern yet? You should. He could force people who love him to do his will easier, so he used that benevolent façade to fool his pawns. Pawns like Severus was. Like me. Like _you_."

Ginny winced.

"And so, when that curse threatened the old bastard, he used Severus' love and vows to force him to take the fall, and Severus is still suffering for it even now, as you just proved a moment ago." 

Ginny covered her mouth and shook her head. "It's not true. He lied!"

"I'm an auror, Ginny. I catch liars and thieves for a living. I can read when people lie to me."

"B-but you're biased because you're in love with the bastard, so—"

"You think I still trust love?" Harry snorted. "After I came out to you, after I tried to do the right thing and set you free to find someone who could love you the way I couldn't, and you turned around and destroyed my life for it? I tested Severus harder than anyone _because_ my feelings for him run deep, and it fucking terrifies me."

She shook her head again, eyes wild. "That _can't_ be true!"

"Ask your brother. I'm done talking to you." He took Severus' hand. "You okay?"

Severus couldn't meet his eyes. "I would like to go now."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry. I should've just taken you home. I just… can't bear to hear the man who destroyed my childhood called a hero while you're victimized for his cruelty."

"It—it is nothing new. Please, Harry."

"Yeah, okay. Let's go." Harry swept Severus close and led him out. "Sorry for the commotion, Aberforth. Here's something extra for the trouble." 

"It's nothing, young man," said Aberforth with a shrug. "My brother hurt a lot of folks, including us." He waved to Ariana's portrait, and the silent girl nodded fiercely.

Ginny squeaked. "W-what?"

Aberforth snorted. "Pulled his beard over your eyes, did he? Well, you certainly aren't the first, and you won't be the last. Twelve years dead, and still mucking up everyone's lives." He scoffed. "Seen Death Eaters what did less damage." 

"Draco and Lucius put together, for one," Harry muttered.

"Hm. Can't say much on that either way." Aberforth gave Severus a sorrowful look. "You did well, lad. I was able to keep them fed thanks to your help. You saved a lot of lives, even if they don't exactly thank you for it. Best headmaster Hogwarts ever had, though don't anyone recognize it."

"I do," Harry murmured.

"Well, you've had the blinders ripped off, lad. Most of the folks he used the worst, his pawns, as you called them—the ones he threw away to win the game anyway—they've come to see the light in the end."

Harry nodded. "Hard to miss, honestly, once he pushed me too far."

"Same as he did to all his toys in the end."

Harry shuddered. "Yeah. Thanks, Aberforth. I didn't mean to cause you trouble, especially not tonight, though, so take the bonus, okay?"

He laid a handful of bills down. Aberforth pocketed it.

"Happy holidays, lads."

"Yes, you too."

Severus nodded, though he wouldn't look up from the floor. Discomfort and anxiety rolled off of him in waves.

Harry bid Aberforth goodnight and walked Severus towards the door, but he paused at the sight of a group of friends already there. Some his own, and most staring at Aberforth and Severus with wide eyes. Good. Maybe they'd grow up now they heard someone who knew the old man better give them the unvarnished truth. 

Blaise Zabini stepped forwards, eyes sharp with suppressed anger. Harry braced himself for another scene, but Zabini surprised him. 

"I'm sorry, Potter. For what the old man did to you."

Harry swallowed hard. "Y-yeah. You too. He used us all."

Zabini inclined his head. "So he did. The two of you worst of all." He gave Severus a respectful bow. "Thank you, sir. You saved my life and honour and Millie and Draco, too. You saved us all."

Severus' throat bobbed, and he tugged at his cuff. A nervous habit?

"I did what I had to."

"You did much more than that, sir." Zabini's eyes darted between the men and down to Harry's hand, held tightly within Severus' own. "Hm. Take care of him, will you, Potter? He needs you."

"Blaise," Severus said, cheeks red.

"It's just the truth." Zabini gave Harry a half smile. "Happy Christmas, Potter. Happy Yule, Severus."

Harry nodded back, a little stunned. "Um, thanks. Happy—uh, which holiday do you prefer?"

Zabini's lip quirked up at the corner. "Yule."

"Happy Yule then." 

"Thanks. Get your date home, Potter."

Harry nodded and led Severus out into the storm, feeling as though he had stepped into a dream. He shouted over the wind, "Was that really Zabini in there? Being _nice_ to me?"

Severus gave him an uncertain smile. "You _are_ dating his former head of house." He hesitated. "Aren't you?"

Harry pulled him down into a tight hug and nuzzled his ear. "Yes," he murmured right against the shell so he didn't need to shout. "Yes, love. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Severus relaxed in his arms. "I only feared you would heed her accusations." He shuddered. "And…."

"It hurt to have it thrown in your face."

"Yes."

Harry kissed him until the tension eased from his frame. "Come on, love. It's bloody cold out here."

Severus pulled him flush against his body. "Thank you."

Harry kissed the tip of his cold nose. "You went to war for me. The least I can do is fight for you."

Severus gave him a wan smile. "I will always go to war for you."

"And I will be right at your side. For now, though, let's get out of the snow before she starts another round."

Severus nodded and led Harry towards the apparition point, hand-in-hand.


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays!

#  **I'll Be Home for Yuletide**

* * *

## PART II

Ginny watched Harry leave, mind whirring with information overload—information she hadn't wanted to hear. Information she had 'overlooked' for years now, because Snape _couldn't_ be a good person. He just couldn't be. Because if he was, then she no longer had any justification for her hatred but jealousy, and that simply wasn't on.

No. It couldn't be real. It just… couldn't. She pushed the 'information' aside again and started towards a table in the back. "Can you believe the nerve?" She dragged Sally Anne over and scowled at the doorway, to where Harry was just visible at Snape's side, both heading for the bar. "I can't _believe_ he brought _that man_ in here after everything he did to hurt us."

Sally Anne coughed and looked to Asher Thompson, a Muggleborn Ravenclaw from Ginny's year, but he only flushed and pretended he hadn't noticed. 

"What's gotten into you two?" Ginny frowned at her friends. "Aren't you angry?"

Sally looked between Ginny and Asher, but when neither seemed likely to save her the trouble of answering, she sighed and spoke in a quiet, uncertain tone. "Um, well, yes, he did hurt us, but…."

"But _what_? There is no _but_. He's a traitor, and—"

A masculine voice replied, "And you're the only person in Britain who believes that anymore, except for the dark-sided berks who wanted me and my family dead. That's why your friends aren't talking." 

"Oi! Who…?"

"Me." Justin Finch-Fletchley entered the room, eyes sparking, and made his way to Ginny, but Harry's voice interrupted before he could speak again. 

"Sorry for the commotion, Aberforth," said the auror. "Here's something extra for the trouble." 

Justin turned halfway towards the door, obviously curious to see what Aberforth would say in reply. Ginny swallowed hard. Surely Albus' own brother wouldn't let her down.

But then, Aberforth had never cared much for Albus, had he? 

Sibling rivalry. It had to be sibling rivalry.

"It's nothing, young man," said Aberforth. "My brother hurt a lot of folks, including us." She caught a glimpse of a pale, wrinkled hand waving towards the wall behind the bar, where Ariana's portrait hung, but the curtain blocked her view of the girl's response.

Even so….

"W-what?" It couldn't be true! It just couldn't.

Aberforth snorted and peered at her over his spectacles. "Pulled his beard over your eyes, did he? Well, you certainly aren't the first, and you won't be the last. Twelve years dead, and still mucking up everyone's lives." 

Their voices dropped too low to hear briefly. With a shake of his head, Aberforth turned back to Harry and Snape. 

"You did well, lad. I was able to keep them fed thanks to your help. You saved a lot of lives, even if they don't all exactly thank you for it. Best headmaster Hogwarts ever had, though don't anyone recognize it."

"I do," Harry murmured.

They went on talking, but their words faded to the hum of white noise and the rush of her pulse in her ears. Even Aberforth called Albus a manipulative monster and Snape a hero. Why? Why didn't anyone see? Didn't anyone _care_ how mean Snape was?

But he hadn't been mean that night, had he? Not even when Ginny attacked him in his most vulnerable spots. He had only asked Harry not to reveal his past and to take him home. 

In his shoes, Ginny was certain she wouldn't have kept nearly so quiet.

The door slammed shut, probably from the force of the wind as Harry would never slam someone else's door, and Ginny jumped.

Justin crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

More of Ginny's guests, there for a late night DA Christmas party, began to filter into the room. Their conversations stilled at the tension hanging in the air, and their eyes flicked between Ginny and Justin, curiosity clear in their expressions.

She swallowed hard and stepped back. Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea. "I-I mean, Aberforth was his brother, so, you know how it is between siblings."

Justin snorted. "Yes, they were brothers, and I daresay that gives the man more of a handle on Dumbledore's true character than a former student." 

"All right, all right. Agree to disagree, I guess." Anything to stop this confrontation before she died of embarrassment.

"Agree to disagree? Are you _mad_? You agree to disagree on whether you like tea or coffee or whether you support Manchester United or the Holyhead Harpies. This is _much_ too important for that."

Ginny waved him down. "Okay, but everyone is here now, and—"

"And that didn't stop you from dragging Harry and Headmaster Snape in public, did it?" Justin scoffed and carried on despite the growing number of eyes fixed upon them and ears taking in every word. "You keep trying to act like Snape is a monster, but did you not even hear Aberforth mention the fact that the man _paid Aberforth_ to feed us?"

Several gasps and whispers sounded all around, and Ginny flushed.

"Well, I'm sure it couldn't have been too much inconvenience. Hogwarts has funds and such for students in need, and—"

"Lass, use what little brains you've got, or was I wrong to think you had them?" Aberforth stepped into the room with a stack of menus under one arm. "There were over seventy students in your Room by the end, all hungry and cut off from their funds. How much do you think it cost to keep them fed three times a day, every day, for ten months? And you're about as smart as the back end of a gnome if you think Headmaster Snape could dip into the school funds to help with the Carrows and You-Know-Who guzzling them." He set the menus on the counter. "When you lot are done with your spectacle, just pick what you want off that first page and order it like you used to. The house elves Headmaster Snape _bought for me_ still remember how it works."

He stalked out, and Ginny stared at the floor, face hot and back hunched. She half wished it would swallow her whole. 

"Still plan on telling me it wasn't an _inconvenience_?" Justin scoffed, his disgust evident. "You're in utter denial. Snape made sure we had a place to run, he gave us detention with Hagrid when he couldn't avoid it altogether, he ran off the Carrows as much as possible, he paid a small fortune to make sure we didn't starve—I don't even want to think about how much it must have cost him now—and he damn near died on the battlefield trying to give Harry the information he needed to win. The man is a bloody _hero_ , not a traitor."

Ginny winced. "But what about—"

"Oh, come off it, Ginny. There's really only one reason why you held on to your hatred for Snape this long after everyone else has come to their senses."

"No! I—" Hands waving desperately, she rushed to deny the words she knew were coming, but too late. 

"It's because you're _jealous_."

Ginny gasped and struggled to bring this back under control. "No, no. I-I have a date tonight, so I'm obviously not—"

"As if that means anything." Justin clucked his tongue. "I hope the poor bastard knows what he's getting into."

Whispers erupted all around, and Ginny felt her influence and popularity sliding further into nonbeing with every heartbeat. 

"Justin, leave it be. I'm not jealous. I'm just upset that Harry brought—"

"His partner in here?"

Ginny struggled to keep her face neutral, but she couldn't stop her lip from curling into a sneer or her eyelid from twitching.

"He's not his partner. He's just—"

"Oh, stuff it, Ginny. They walked out of here with Snape in Harry's arms, and Snape was leaning on him. Besides, I'm sure I heard them use pet names. They're _obviously_ in love."

Ginny scowled and stomped her foot. "No! They're not. You're just making that up."

Justin smirked. "Oh, no. You're not jealous _at all_. I see that now plain as day."

Ginny's face burned, and she hugged her chest to keep her heart from beating right out of it. "W-well, even if I was _upset about it_ , it doesn't mean anything. Maybe I just think Harry can do better, and maybe I don't want my kids around Snape anyway!"

"Better than the other hero of the war?" Justin shook his head. "Honestly, they're perfect for each other, if you ask me. They've lived through things no one else can understand. Especially not a spoiled little bint who thinks she owns Harry and has the right to decide who he dates even now, years after you two split up." He glared. "And you took his kids away from him, remember? Snape won't see them because you stole them from Harry before he ever had the chance."

"I d-didn't _steal_ them, I—"

"Yes. You did." Justin scowled and stepped closer, eyes hard. "Admit it. You're hacked off that Harry has obvious feelings for Snape, never mind that those two know more about each other than any of us do and have a lot of common bonds. You're angry that Snape moved in on 'your territory' and you think that gives you the right to call him a traitor and evil and attack him in public."

"No! It's not that!" Her denial sounded weak even to her own ears.

Justin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I think it is. And you know what? The only one who comes off looking like a traitor these days is _you_."

Ginny squeaked. "What? I'm not—"

"Oh, not to Britain, but to Harry? Your kids? Yeah. You're a top class bitch." With that, Justin scowled and moved towards the door. "Go party and live it up if you want. I'd rather spend the night with my brother after all, given that's what Christmas is _supposed_ to be about—family." He turned on his heel and stormed out with a wave to the old barkeep. "Happy Holidays, Aberforth."

"To you as well, son. And, by the way…." The old man grinned. "Well said."

Justin snorted. "Harry's too nice to say it. Figured it was time someone did." He waved at the others, shot Ginny a sneer, and left. 

The door slammed again, and the bar fell silent enough to hear the snow crystals pelting the windowpanes.

Ginny flushed and dropped into a seat in the shadows. She usually preferred the limelight, but after a public dressing down like that? No, a little peace and quiet would do her some good. 

A traitor. Why had Justin said such awful things about her? Well, maybe he was right about the jealousy thing—and didn't admitting it cost her a massive chunk of her pride—but a traitor? No. None of them had seen Harry like she had. 

As more of her classmates and friends arrived and began to mingle, she rested her head in her hands and pieced together the shattered fragments of her self-confidence. The fact that her name featured in far too many of her guests' conversations did not help her in that endeavour.

* * *

Severus led Harry through Hogsmeade, mind reeling with the implications of the confrontation he had just witnessed. That little tête-a-tête in the red room had given him insight into what had destroyed Harry's marriage: Severus himself. Even before Harry had known he was gay, it seemed his loyalty to Severus had driven a wedge between Harry and Ginevra. Surely Harry had explained Severus' true loyalties? Could she honestly hold a grudge this long?

Well, Severus would know all about holding grudges, but then, he had been broken. Unhealthy inside and out, and she wasn't, as far as he knew. Weasleys tended to forgive too easily, too, and Severus had _thought_ she followed the same mould, so why would she hate him so passionately even now?

Unless….

Unless it wasn't a grudge at all. Or not one held over the war, anyway.

He held his tongue until they arrived in his living room and removed their boots and outerwear. Harry's head swiveled all about, taking in the sights. Childlike wonder crossed his face, and the glow of all Severus' fairy lights sparkled in his eyes.

"Oh, Merlin. It's like a Christmas wonderland in here."

"Yule," but it was close enough. 

Garlands of holly, evergreen, and ivy hung across the top of his walls. Candle wreaths glowed in the windows, proof against the snowy gloom. Fairy lights decorated every ledge and shelf, and bunches of mistletoe hung in the corners—where they would do the least damage, the sneaky little buggers. And at the centre of the room, in front of his picture windows, a glorious tree lit the room with silver and gold splendour.

"Wow. I had no idea you liked the holidays this much."

Severus nodded. "I have had enough of grim, lonely Yuletides. For the past five years, I have tried to make my home feel happy during the holidays, even if I had no one to share them with." He caressed Harry's cheek. "Until now."

Harry gave him a hesitant smile. "Yeah. I reckoned I'd be alone this year. Didn't even try to decorate. It all just felt…."

"Useless. Hollow. Why expend so much effort on decorations that would only serve to remind you of what you had lost?"

Harry's eyes welled. "T-that's exactly how it feels."

Severus pulled Harry into his arms. "Then you will spend the holidays here this year. I will not allow you to spend the entirety of Yule alone."

Harry smiled weakly. "Well, Ron and 'Mione come for me usually, so I'm not alone, but it's not the same." He nuzzled Severus' cheek. "I'll be happy to stay with you." 

"Good." Severus kissed his forehead. "Come. I will make hot chocolate for us to drive back the cold. I have some peppermint for it if you enjoy it that way. I rather like it myself, especially at Yuletide."

Harry gave a small giggle. "I never imagined you'd like hot chocolate either." 

Severus shrugged. "In general, I am not fond of sweets. I am like Lupin in that chocolate is the exception, though I do like some fruit-based confections as well, depending on the variety. I abhor sherbet lemons, and I think you will, too."

Harry growled under his breath. "I _used_ to like them. Now…." 

Both men shuddered.

Harry gave Severus a half smile. "I'm not picky about food usually. Had that bred out of me young. There are only a handful of things I won't eat, and all have some traumatic memory associated with my aversion to them."

Severus caressed Harry's waist. "You will not go hungry again. What foods do you avoid? I know through observation that you never touch black sausage or veal. Is there anything else?"

"Limburger, liver, and pig's feet. I tend to avoid animal organs in general, though I'll eat it if there's nothing better at hand." 

"Noted. You are welcome to tell me of the reasons you do not eat those foods if you wish. In the meantime, however, I have plenty of more pleasurable treats to choose from. I make all manner of baked goods for Yuletide every year. Honestly, I am glad there is someone to help me eat them this time. Even with giving most of it away as gifts, I always have too many leftovers."

Harry grinned. "You bake, too? And give your treats away?" His smile slipped. "Merlin. I guess I don't know you as well as I thought I did."

Severus squeezed him against his side. "It is only that you haven't seen me in many years. When I had to fight the war caught between two masters, I had neither the interest nor the energy for such 'frivolous' things as holiday decorations and hot chocolate and Yuletide boars—or Christmas hams, as you would say—but as of late, I have found some little peace in letting myself feel joyful again."

Harry's smile brightened a little. "I'm glad." He pressed his head into Severus' chest. "It's like you found the happiness I lost."

Severus stroked Harry's hair. "Then allow me to share mine with you, so you can smile again."

Harry kissed Severus' chest over his heart. "Y-yeah. I could—could use some extra joy."

Severus guided him to his kitchen, which he had decorated with holly and ivy and golden sun ornaments. As in the living room, fairy lights and candles bathed the room in an ethereal glow. 

"Oh, lovely. What are the suns for though? I've never seen them during the holidays."

"In Celtic tradition, Yule represents the rebirth of the sun god after the longest night—the solstice. The lights and suns are representative of his light returning to the world."

"Oh, brilliant." Harry examined a golden filigree sun hanging in the window over the kitchen sink. "I think I like the suns better. They don't feel so… tainted I guess."

"You are free to spend the rest of the season with me."

"Season?" Harry looked back to Severus. "When does it end?"

"January first."

"Oh, wow. You have holidays and stuff every day until January?"

"Well, the solstice is the main holiday, as well as Hogmanay, but I believe we could have a small celebration for these next few nights together, if you would like that."

Harry's smile shone a little brighter. "Yeah? That sounds brilliant. I'd have to do some shopping though. I didn't expect to see you, so I don't have a gift."

Severus kissed Harry's forehead. "You are the greatest gift I have ever received."

Harry blinked hard and clung to Severus' hands. "I-I don't know if that's true anymore, love. I might—might hurt your reputation now. Maybe you should—"

"If any variation of the Gryffindor notion of 'leave me and save yourself' is about to cross your lips, I will remind you that we Slytherins are altogether too selfish to listen to such tripe."

Harry gave a tearful snort. "Selfish. Bah. You're about the least selfish person I know."

Severus placed a pot of milk on the hob and turned up the flame. "Well, it _was_ suggested to me in the latter years of the war that I had been missorted."

Harry gave him an incredulous look. 

"Yes, such was my reaction, too."

Harry chuckled softly and wiped his eyes. "What genius said _that_? Wait, don't tell me. Dumbledore?"

"But of course."

"And I suppose he imagined it a great compliment, as if Slytherins couldn't possibly have any good qualities of note."

Severus added chocolate to the milk and stirred with his trademark precision. "Indeed."

"Manipulative old coot." Harry sighed and folded himself into the chair nearest Severus. "Part of me misses him. And I have the feeling he could sort out Ginny in a hurry."

"Hm. Probably so. People did tend to take every word from his mouth as the truth given from the heavens themselves."

"Yeah. That would come in handy about now, for sure."

Severus cast him a worried look. "Harry, love, what happened?"

"Merlin. It's a mess." Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well, you know I married Ginny right out of Hogwarts. We finished the last year together, then we got married as soon as school ended. And right after the honeymoon, I signed on for cadet training. It was what everybody wanted for me. Three kids and a dog, pretty wife, manor in the countryside, carry on fighting the bad guys no one else in Britain has the bollocks to face. Except you, of course."

Severus snorted. "I am done with living dangerously."

"Yeah? Good. You deserve it." Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair. "The thing is, everyone's dream for me turned out to be _nothing_ like what I wanted for myself. And even better, Ginny soon found out her fairytale hero was more than a little broken. Tarnished golden boy and all. Funny how fighting a war mostly alone and watching loved ones die over and over breaks a man."

Severus watched him over his pot, his heart ringing with the knowledge that, while Severus had spent ten years healing and learning how to be free, Harry had never been given the chance. Fame had more drawbacks than crowds of fawning women with unusual tastes in home décor, it seemed. 

"I understand, love. I will help you heal, if you wish."

Harry gave him a sad smile. "As you can. I need more than a hug, I think."

"I may, with luck and effort, find it within myself to spare you a kiss or two as well."

Harry chuckled. "If only that would fix it."

"Indeed. Go on, love."

Harry dragged his finger along the tabletop, following the grain. "I never had a chance to find out who I am. While my friends were busy dating and trying out new interests, I was busy trying not to die. When I graduated, I knew nothing. All I'd ever experienced romantically was Ginny, and all I ever experienced professionally was fighting dark wizards, and it never occurred to me that I might not care to keep doing those things indefinitely. 

"By the time I worked out that maybe I wasn't as into Ginny—or women in general—as I should be, I was working on son number two. By the time I worked out I wasn't as happy chasing dark wizards as I am in the classroom or in the garden, I was already a captain with a squadron of aurors who depended on me. It was Narcissa Malfoy who set me down the right path five years ago, believe it or not."

Severus added a splash of vanilla to the cocoa and set two cups at the table. A flick of his wand sent peppermint wands and biscuits flying onto saucers beside their cups, and he poured the sweet-smelling liquid into each cup with a practiced hand. 

"I didn't hear of a squabble with the Malfoys in Athens. Tell me what happened?"

"Because it wasn't a squabble." Harry gave him a curious look. "Athens?"

"Yes. That is where I lived five years prior. I have also traveled to Rome, Paris, Prague, Luzerne, Cairo, and a handful of other notable places over the last ten years." Severus sat beside Harry and shook his head. "The war did considerable damage to my psyche, and it took many years away from Britain to heal. I have only been back for a few weeks."

Harry gave him a sad smile. "If I had been smart, I would have gone with you, or at least done some travelling on my own. Instead, I made myself miserable trying to fulfil everyone else's dreams. Still, I can't regret…."

"Your children."

Harry hung his head. "That's what hurts the most. I can live without Ginny, no problem. We weren't doing well near the end anyway, and I was never honestly in love with her, though Merlin knows I tried. I can do without her nitpicking and temper, but I can't live without my kids."

Severus wiped tears from Harry's cheeks and scooted his chair close enough to hold him in his arms. "What happened, love?"

Harry sighed and clutched Severus' hand. "The war damaged me. I have nightmares a lot, almost every night, and I wake up thinking I'm in the middle of a battle all over again. It's hard to calm down, too. And Ginny, well, she just doesn't understand it. She has nightmares of the final battle sometimes, yes, but nowhere near as intense as mine. She can tell she's dreaming, you know? To me, it's real."

Severus nodded. "They are different forms of PTSD. Yours comes with reality breaks, it seems."

Harry shuddered. "Y-yeah. It's not as bad as she acted, though. All I need is for someone to hold my hand and remind me the war is over, and I eventually snap out of it, but she acted like I tried to attack her every night. I just—after awhile, I got tired of her being so unsympathetic and I started pushing her away when I came back to myself, and she acted like I'd killed her puppy." He rubbed his forehead, expression pained. "I mean, I guess it was hard on her. Here she had wanted me her whole life, then she got me, and it was nothing like she thought it would be."

Severus scowled. "That is hardly an excuse to take your children away."

"Yeah." Harry rested his head in his hands. "Well, whether either way, she went to the courts, and now I have nothing left but you and my dearest friends, a job I hate, a volunteer position I adore but can't do as much as I wish I could, and the fame that I don't want but which refuses to die."

Severus laced his fingers through Harry's. "What happened?"

Harry chuckled a little. "You'll never believe it. Draco called us into the manor with a report that he had sensed several foreign magical signatures in his basement—you know it was the dungeons once. He didn't know what was going on, but he was afraid some of the old crowd had snuck past his wards somehow. So I led a team down to the basement, thinking we might run into all the missing Death Eaters, but there was nothing. The signatures he sensed came from the walled-off dungeons, and none of them were vaguely familiar. We knocked down the wall to the dungeons, and—" He gave a wry shake of his head. "It was like we walked into another world."

"Another world?"

"The dungeons had been completely renovated. All the dark magic and such had been meticulously stripped away, and Narcissa had installed a playroom, nursery, and bedrooms, complete with toys and cots. Oh, and fourteen kids, of course."

" _Kids_?" Fingers suddenly numb, Severus dropped the peppermint stick into his cocoa. "She put _children_ in the dungeons? Where people died?"

Harry grimaced. "Well, it was only meant to be a temporary situation until she had enough funding to put them in a proper magical orphanage. And she had gutted the place, Severus. Every structure there was brand-new. The kids weren't sleeping where the cells used to be anyway."

"She built an orphanage?"

"Legal, too. But I felt the same way, that the kids shouldn't sleep where people had suffered. Narcissa wasn't fond of it either, to be honest. She just didn't have anywhere else that fit the legal requirements, mad as it sounds. 

"Anyway, after she showed us her permits and reassured Draco she only meant to help the kids recover and find good homes, I spent a while talking to her and fleshing out what she was actually planning to do. It was actually a brilliant idea—you know we had no official wizarding orphanages before then—and it stayed with me all week. I was supposed to be tracking down criminals, but all I could think about was those kids. I knew I had to do something, or I would drive myself mad worrying about them."

Severus caressed Harry's hands. "You are a father at heart."

"Y-yeah. It's why it hurts so damned much." Harry swallowed and lowered his head. "Before I saw you, I was… lost. I hadn't decided to act, because that small thread of hope that something might change hadn't died yet, but—but I was much too close to the edge. I kept thinking what did it matter if something happened to me if my kids wouldn't—wouldn't even miss me. They wouldn't even _know_."

Severus blinked hard and swept Harry into his arms. He held Harry's head against his shoulder and kissed his hair, chest cold and heart fluttering with the fear of what he had almost lost. He had had some sense back in Brussels that he needed to go back home soon or he would regret it. Had it been some kind of magical bond between them, calling Severus back to his mate before his despair overwhelmed his will to survive? He didn't know, but the idea that he might have lost this before it ever had the chance to grow set him shaking and sent his heart mad. He couldn't help holding Harry tight, needing the reassurance of his breath and heartbeat against him, nor could he stop a few silent tears.

"Don't," Severus whispered. "I would miss you. I would know. I will never recover if…."

Harry's lips slotted against his own. The kiss started soft and tender, but Severus' awkward uncertainty fast gave way to the need to feel Harry closer, to taste him and know without a doubt that they had avoided that miserable fate. Harry grabbed his face and clutched his hair and pressed in close enough to blend their souls, and the feel of his tongue against Severus' own finally eased that desperation inside him, the need to hold and kiss and drive the shadows away from his beloved. He moved back, panting, and pressed their foreheads together. 

"If you ever feel so low again, come to me. Come to me before it progresses so far. I love you, Harry. I could not bear to—" His voice broke. "Promise me you will come to me when you need help."

Harry soothed him with a soft kiss. "I don't feel that way any longer, and even before, I didn't want to give in to it. And, yes, I promise I'll come to you when I need you."

"Before it becomes so desperate?"

"Yes. As soon as I need you, I'll come. I promise."

Severus buried his head in Harry's neck and breathed him in. The throb of a living pulse under his fingers, the warmth of breath against his scalp, the scent of life and humanity and the musk of a man's body in his nostrils reassured him at last.

He moved back to his seat, though he couldn't bear to let go of Harry's hand. 

"It's okay, love. I'm safe. It's all right."

Yes. Harry was safe, and by the gods, Severus would keep him that way from now on. He kissed Harry's hand and stroked his fingers. Whatever it took, he _would_ see his lion happy again. 

He took a deep breath and gathered his scattered wits. Merlin, that had terrified him, but it was over now, and his Harry was here with him, where Severus could protect him and help him recover. 

"Thank you. Now, if you are able, please continue. You had said Narcissa's plan haunted your thoughts."

"Yeah. Couldn't stop thinking about it, so I went back to her that weekend and ended up funding her orphanage myself. Couldn't help myself. We called it Sunshine Sanctuary. She's done wonders in turning life around for war orphans and kids like me, who fell through the cracks. Well, in my case, it was more like 'abducted and forced through the cracks,' but you get the drift."

"Merlin. I never would have imagined Narcissa Malfoy could be so selfless." He smiled a little. "Seems war changed us all."

Harry nodded. "Even Lucius got in on it after his sentence ended. Azkaban broke him, you know. All his pride, his looks, his status—he lost everything. He had nothing left but his wife and son, and they helped him back into some semblance of humanity again. He's actually a decent sort these days."

"Now _that_ is something I'll have to see to believe."

Harry chuckled, though it had a sorrowful ring to it. "Well, I volunteer at the orphanage with Teddy on Sundays. You're welcome to come along."

Severus squeezed Harry's hand. "Perhaps I shall. Now, how did Narcissa change your course in life?"

Harry clung to Severus' hand and took a shaky breath. "You. By then, I already knew I was gay, but after she told me what had inspired her idea to open an orphanage, I knew why. She did it for you, Severus. She remembered your story, how you were treated as a child, how you never had anyone to guide you and what happened to you because of it, and she wanted to spare other wizarding children a similar fate."

Severus swallowed back a sudden rush of emotion. "Oh. Merlin. I…."

"Yeah. Shocked me, too. And moved me to tears." Harry gave a wry laugh. "More like had me sobbing on her sofa like a baby. She was completely flummoxed, so I tried to explain, and it all came pouring out. The Dursleys, my dad and Sirius treating you shit—I didn't tell her the details, but she already knew anyway—how I wished I'd had someone to guide me before I ran right into the corps and Ginny's arms, and I wished you were still here to hear it." 

He closed his eyes and shuddered. "I wished you could be here with me period. And the more I talked about it, the more I realized the truth. I'd been dreaming of you for years and missing you longer, but it was only that night that I understood what it all meant."

He rubbed his forehead and chuckled to himself. "Gods, I was a mess. Just imagine it. I was halfway to drunk, bawling on her expensive leather sofa, and I twigged it right then. 'Holy shit, I'm in love with him. I've been in love with him all this bloody time. No _wonder_ I can't stand to snog my wife's bits.' Narcissa just about fainted."

Severus' soft laugh held more wonder than amusement. "Harry…." He couldn't resist pressing a tender kiss to Harry's lips. "I love you as well. I always have, though not always as I do now."

Harry smirked. "Probably a good thing, that."

Severus snorted. "Indeed." He wrapped both hands around Harry's, needing more of his skin against that of his lover. Just to feel him closer. 

"So what happened next?"

Harry grimaced. "Well, let's just say I'm glad I gave Narcissa the funds the next morning before I talked to Ginny." He stared at his hands and blinked hard. "After that, I tried to do the right thing. I sat her down and told her I couldn't do it anymore. That I was living a lie and she deserved better than the half-life I could give her. I told her I wanted her to have a husband who could be _in_ love with her as well as love her platonically. I tried hard to hurt her as little as possible. And she absolutely lost the plot. To be fair, she was four weeks pregnant with Lily at the time—we didn't know yet—but she went utterly madder than anyone, pregnant or not, has a right to be. She cursed me, called me every name in the book, and threw me out with nothing but the clothes on my back."

Severus scowled. "Hm."

"Oh, it gets better. I stayed with Ron and Hermione that night. Ended up confessing everything and begging Ron to forgive me. He was upset for like half a minute, then he just hugged me and promised me that we would work it out. He told me we'd go talk to her together after a day or so, give her time to calm down and think. But I woke up to a subpoena for divorce court and a custody hearing."

Tears slid down Harry's cheeks. "She used it against me, Sev. My illness. She told the court she thought I was a danger to the kids and my choosing a 'traitor' and a Death Eater over her was proof of it. And, and she _won_."

Severus gasped. "What? Merlin, _how_? Why would anyone—how could they believe such tripe?"

Harry wiped another rush of tears away. "I-I don't know. Well, a handful of them were dark supporters just looking for revenge, but the rest? The only thing I can think of—I'm a man, love, and a powerful one. And most of the Death Eaters were men. All the pureblood jurors—those not crowing over my pain anyway—had watched their male relatives go mad and oppress the females and kids, and the others, they were just scared, I think. They knew I died and came back, but no one understands how, and you know I can't tell them."

"Merlin forbid," said Severus with a shudder.

"Yeah. And I came back from it to kill a dark wizard no one else could with a bloody _disarming jinx_. It was because I was the master of his wand and my death had performed the bond of blood over us all, but they don't understand that either. So maybe they got scared I was _too_ powerful. You know that lot tends to stick their heads in the sand whenever someone with real power is even a hint of a threat, and even I can't blame them for being a bit cautious of me given the facts, those that they have to work with anyway."

He sniffled and pressed a biscuit into his saucer, breaking it into small pieces. "And maybe some of them just believed Ginny because she's a woman, and people don't tend to think of the man in a traditional marriage as a victim. They don't think a woman can do as much harm, but I grew up with _Petunia_ , Severus, and her cast iron pans hurt a lot more and did a lot more damage than Dudley's fists or Vernon's belt."

Severus growled under his breath. "I should have cursed her inside out."

Harry sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Oh. Yeah, you did say—what did you hit them with, love? The Dursleys."

Severus sipped his cocoa and let the memory of those moments wash over him anew. Even now, it made him smirk. The bastards had deserved every second of their punishment.

Harry grinned. "Well, with a face like that, it _must_ be good."

Severus snorted. "I placed three separate curses upon them. The first, I used when you were still under their 'care,' mostly as a preventative measure against further harm." 

A shudder crept down his spine at the memory of what had sparked him to action—a massive bull of a man spitting froth and bearing down on a cowering little boy, a shrew raking her claws down tender young skin, a boy three times the child's size beating him to a pulp, and a mad bulldog chasing that terrified, screaming boy up a tree while the monsters he called relatives looked on and _laughed_. To this day, Severus still woke up in a panic because of those terrible images, ghosts of his own trauma and a painful reminder of all his failings alike.

Severus clutched Harry's hand tighter and swallowed against a wave of grief. How he wished he could return to those dark days and do them again, do better by this loving, wonderful young man who had claimed his heart and saved more than his life. Still, he could heal Harry's heart bit by bit now they were together again and free to love each other this time.

"After what horrors I saw in your occlumency lessons—Merlin, it tore the soul from me, Harry. I couldn't leave you to suffer so badly, even if Albus justified his negligence by claiming that 'hurt is better than dead' and touting the sacrifices one must make for 'the greater good.'"

Harry scowled. "Petunia might have killed me at any time had one of those pans hit my skull. My magic is damned powerful, but there's only so much it can heal alone. I imagine that _might_ have put a damper on the old goat's grand plan, yeah?"

"Just so." Severus brushed Harry's hair back from his forehead and kissed his temple. "I am so relieved you came through in one piece, if not unscathed."

"Yeah." Harry squeezed Severus' hand. "I'm glad you survived all the shit the world dumped on you, too."

Severus twined his fingers with Harry's. "We are born survivors."

"Yeah. So what did you do after occlumency."

"Cry and drink myself into a stupor. Then, I tore Albus several new orifices. When I realized he had no intention of following through with the Order's 'threat,' however, I took matters into my own hands. Even if I had truly loathed you as much as it seemed, I could never let such miserable treatment continue unchecked. I regretted with all of my soul that I had not taken action sooner."

Harry kissed Severus' knuckles. "Thank you, love. What did you do?"

"Cursed the daylights out of them."

Harry snorted. "How? I never noticed anything."

"Oh, I did not truly curse them while you still lived under their roof. I feared they might retaliate, and as I had no power to break you free, I could do nothing overt while they still held your safety in trust."

"Such as it was."

Severus traced his thumb along the scars marring Harry's right hand. Shame he hadn't been able to track Umbridge down. He would have loved to curse her to a pulp, too. 

"I did what I could to protect you. In your fifth year, I cast a mind-altering charm to convince them that hurting you would come with dire consequences. It was not foolproof, but I could not cast anything more overt without endangering us both."

"It helped. There were a few instances of abuse, but they were much less awful those last two years, overall. Thank you, love."

Severus inclined his head. "I am sorry I could not do more."

"You were the only one who did anything at all." Harry pressed his thumb over Severus', probably to stop him tracing his scars. "So what did you do after I left then?"

Severus smirked. "I hunted them down like beasts and used two punishments tailored to make their lives an utter misery without risking my own. The first makes random bursts of magic alter them in some way when they least expect it, but no one else is able to see it. As well, they cannot use the word 'magic' or any term they associate with it in reference to their curse, so they cannot seek out wizarding help, and any muggle they tell merely thinks them mad."

Harry snorted. "Perfect. And the other?"

Severus' expression hardened. "The Retribution Curse."

Harry closed his eyes. "They'll be feeling the pain they caused me for another seven years or so then?"

"Indeed. I did not use the second curse on your cousin, however, and the first has run its course for him as well, though he is still blocked from retrieving aid for his parents. The parents deserve every second of their rightful punishment, but the boy was an unfortunate product of his environment. As well, I sensed remorse in him."

"Yes, Dudley did, at least, make an effort towards the end. Petunia and Vernon never learned. They deserve the worst in your arsenal."

Severus rubbed his chin. "Hm. Pet, would you be willing to show the Wizengamot a handful of your memories if I am there to support you?"

"I-I guess, but why?"

"I think it is time they saw irrefutable evidence of how much damage a woman can do and heard a dressing down for their betrayal from someone who has seen how evil humans of any variety can be."

Harry hugged his knees. "I—I'm not sure I can stand to expose myself like that, love. And not all of them are remotely just. They might sell the story to the Prophet or even use it as further proof that I'm an unfit parent. And if they use that against me when I'm already broken…."

Severus let his head fall. "No, you are right. They cannot be trusted with the vulnerabilities of your psyche." He brought Harry into his arms. "Have hope, my love. I will think of a way to bring your children back into your life."

Harry shuddered in Severus' arms. "If anyone can do it, you can. Just—until then, don't leave my side?"

Severus kissed him lightly. "Never. Now, how do you feel about putting this behind us for the moment and watching old holiday films together?"

Harry gave him a tentative smile. "Do you have 'A Christmas Carol?'"

Severus laughed. "Of course. How could an old ghoul like me not possess it? I'll even lock myself up and rattle my chains at you if you're into that kind of thing."

"Okay, that was just weird."

Severus snorted. "With all we have lived through, love, we're entitled to be a little weird." He cast warming charms on their cocoa. "Now, get your cup, and we'll see what old films I have lying about."

"Brilliant."

* * *

Draco watched the female Weasley—well, the only one from his generation anyway—twitter with her friends and scowled at the lot of them. How could they just pretend like her betrayal meant nothing? He had made mistakes, no doubt about it, but he could also say without pause that the few friends who had deserved his loyalty had never lost it. 

Blaise and Millicent, who had been forced into the dark and hated its remnants as much as Draco these days, Severus, who had sacrificed everything for him, Neville and Luna, who had brought him out of his shell and taught him the worth of his place in the light. Hell, even Potter might as well be a friend now after all he had done to spare Draco's name and heal his broken family. Draco loved them all, after his way.

Yet all these supposed heroes, with all their talk of loyalty and honour and bravery—they came here tonight to socialize at the beck and call of the woman who had abandoned their leader and left him behind. Who had stolen Potter's kids and wrecked his life out of some twisted notion of entitlement.

Fickle little turncoats, all of them. 

He sipped his champagne—an expensive brand and one of his favourites, but he could hardly enjoy it in such an irritating atmosphere. He glared into the fizzy glass and sloshed the bubbles around. How could a _Weasley_ afford such a high-end label anyway? Come to think of it, how could she afford to throw a Christmas shindig at all on her salary, let alone one this massive?

Well, that was no mystery, he supposed. No doubt the fortune the bint had wrested away from Potter had financed such extravagance.

On second thought, maybe he could do without the champagne.

Draco set the glass aside and scowled at them all. Weasley sidled up to a group of giggling girls, her smile plastered on and not at all convincing. Hm. What was that all about? He wiped his expression and left his relatively safe, shadowed corner in favour of listening to their conversation. 

"—No, no," said the Weaslette. "Justin was just having a rough night, really. He decided to go see his brother and cool his head, you know?"

Lisa Turpin smirked at her. "Yes, after he dragged your arse over the coals. I heard him over the blizzard. What was it again? Oh, yes. He said you're jealous of the man you've been whinging on about for eight years now. I suppose I _could_ have misheard…." She sipped her drink and smiled wickedly at Weasley's grimace. "But my ears _do_ happen to be rather good at picking out juicy titbits to gossip over with the girls."

Merlin, was that ever an understatement. The woman could sniff out a rumour from ten kilometres. 

Weasley gave her a thin smile. "Well, Justin might have thought so, but I'm not. Really. I have a date anyway."

She did? Where? Draco hadn't seen her talk with any one person for more than two minutes at a time. Maybe it was just a cover story.

Hm. If she needed to cover her arse with a made-up date in the first place, what he had thought was Weaslette greeting her guests might have been something closer to damage control. Interesting. What had happened while he'd been finishing up at the orphanage—or, rather, reading _The Night Before Christmas_ to the kids for the umpteenth time?

Draco caught sight of another group of girls with their heads close together and edged towards them instead. Turpin had already moved on to shred some other hapless fool's reputation, so he would hear nothing else of worth from her anyway.

Cho Chang-Wood giggled and spoke in a hushed tone, hand covering her mouth. A discreet flick of Draco's wand and an old spying spell Severus had taught him during the war years carried her voice and all those around her directly to his ears. 

"—Tried to deny it," Cho was saying. "She tried to say it couldn't have cost much, that the headmaster would have used funds from the Hogwarts stores, but that's insane. Riddle and the Carrows were splurging on them, and even if they hadn't been, it's mad to think they wouldn't have watched every penny. It would have been suicide to use the school funds. Even using his own was a grave risk."

"Everything was a risk back then," said Amelia Turner, a muggleborn from the Weaslette's year. "I knew he ran the risks of _Confunding_ the Carrows and warding the Room, but to think he paid for all of us to eat, too? It's incredible."

"Gods," said Lily Moon-Fawley. "I don't even want to think of how much it must have cost him. No inconvenience? Merlin! Just feeding that many kids for a day would have been exorbitant, and he did it for ten months!"

Turner murmured, "How on earth did he pay for it?"

Chang-Wood closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her chest. "I think… maybe he thought he wouldn't need it anymore."

Moon-Fawley whispered, "Do you mean what I think you do?"

"He was a triple agent caught between both sides, Lily. I don't think he expected to survive the night."

"If not for Harry, he wouldn't have," Turner said with a sniffle. "Merlin. They really are perfect for each other. They both gave everything they had down to their lives for us all, and no one really noticed. Well, people notice Harry, but they just care about pestering him for an autograph. Nobody stops to think, 'Wow. This man actually died for me.' And they bloody well should do."

Draco shook his head. Those women had done the pestering often enough. Still, that bit about Severus—gods. He hadn't known. Severus had built up an impressive fortune by the time Draco had started school—one didn't invent world-renowned potions without making money, after all—but feeding all the refugees at Hogwarts for most of a year would have put a sizable dent in his wealth regardless. 

_'I don't think he expected to survive the night.'_

No. None of them had.

Draco shuddered and moved on to the next group. He had enough nightmares of those days without dwelling on them in waking moments. 

As he passed a group of his yearmates, a prickling sensation tickled the hair on the back of his neck. Someone was watching him. He glanced over his shoulder to find a pair of killer grey eyes following his every move. He swallowed hard and let his eyes trail down a teasing smirk, a chin that could cut glass, powerful arms and a labour-hardened torso, strong hands holding some kind of cocktail, and flowing, forest green robes that flared a bit at the hip. 

Draco swallowed hard. _Damn_. Neville's choice of attire flattered every inch of his body, and Draco's mouth watered a little at the sight. Wouldn't he like to peel those layers off like unwrapping a Yule gift and—oh. Merlin. By the look in Neville's eyes, he might not mind being unwrapped too much.

Draco took a steadying breath and looked away. Not the time for that, unfortunately. _He_ hadn't come to socialise, whatever the Weaselette thought. Why she had even asked him was a mystery.

As he forced his feet back towards the gaggle of gossipers he had seen a moment ago, a strong hand brushed his hip and supple lips whispered against his earlobe.

"Happy Yule, Draco."

Neville. And he was polite enough to use Draco's preferred holiday despite the fact that Neville celebrated Christmas.

Draco whimpered despite himself.

Neville chuckled softly. "I see that you're interested. Is there a reason you're brushing me off?"

Draco struggled to breathe through his tight throat. The feel of teasing lips brushing the side of his neck did not help. "I-I'm…." He swallowed a few times until he could control his voice. "I'm not. I'm just here for a purpose. I need to finish that before I can allow myself… indulgences."

Neville's fingertips slipped under the hem of Draco's shirt. "Mm. So you'll come home with me tonight once your mission is done? I only came at all because I wanted to ask you and thought you might come."

Draco gasped at the feel of those calloused fingertips across his bare hips. "G-gods, yes." He could do nothing but pant and hold on to Neville's neck as firm touches crossed under his belt and toyed with the thick hair over his groin. His body arched a little and his cock throbbed.

"N-Nev, public. Don't wanna…."

Neville wrapped his arms around Draco's waist instead. "Okay. Sorry, pet. You're very hard to resist. And that suit is amazing on you."

Draco shivered. "I just left the orphanage. You know not all of the kids come from wizarding families."

Neville nodded and kissed Draco's cheek. "That's really what drew me to you, you know. How much effort you've put into Harry and your mum's orphanage. You're a good man."

Draco leaned back into his chest with a smile. "So it isn't just my irresistible good looks?"

Neville laughed softly. "No, no. I liked your heart before I let myself notice how gorgeous you are." He nuzzled Draco's neck. "And you? Is there more to your interest than lust?"

Draco shivered. "Of course. You help at the same orphanage after all." His tone softened. "And Scorpius loves you. His opinion matters a lot to me in choosing a partner."

Neville whispered against his ear, "Partner, hm?" 

"If—if you'll have me."

A soft kiss landed on his temple. "Y-yeah. I've wanted—for a long time…."

Draco's face flamed. "Really?"

"Yeah." Neville squeezed him closer. "So what do you need to do? I want the hell away from her and all her whinging."

"Oh, definitely." Draco shook his head. "I'm trying to knock some sense into her. I was hoping a thorough public humiliation would do it, but, interestingly enough, I have the feeling someone beat me to the punch. Still, it might drive the lesson home to get another dose, but I'd like a firm idea of what happened earlier before I attempt it. Do you know?"

Neville shook his head. "Been ignoring everyone but you, Luna, and Ron and Hermione, and they haven't said anything particularly interesting yet other than they're upset at her, too."

"Granger and Weasley are here?"

"For the same purpose you are, I think, as is Lu, but they're both Weasleys now, you know."

Draco shrugged. "Didn't she hyphenate? It still applies."

Neville chuckled. "Fair enough. Well, what do you say we split up and hunt down information, then meet up and join forces before the big reveal?"

"Sounds good. You take Lovegood—uh, Scamander. I don't speak her language. I'll tackle the other half of the golden quartet."

"Quartet?"

"Potter, apparently, isn't single any longer either."

"Really? Who?"

"My godfather."

" _What_? Really? Merlin." Neville shook his head wryly. "Well, he's wanted it forever, though Snape is _definitely_ not my type."

"Good."

"Jealous much?"

"Have you looked at yourself lately? I'd be mad not to be."

Neville snorted. "Really, it isn't necessary."

Draco kissed his cheek. "I know. I trust you."

Neville nuzzled his hair. "Me too. Now, let's—what's the phrase? Sully forth?"

" _Sally_ forth."

"What's Sally got to do with it?"

Draco laughed. "Nev, come on. Let's go or we'll be here all night."

Neville scowled. "Merlin forbid. All right. Good luck, love. Meet here in half an hour?"

Draco's face burned. "Y-yeah. You, too."

Neville gave him one last squeeze and wandered off into the crowd. Draco tracked the curve of his arse until he vanished behind a group of giggling girls. 

"Whew. He's damned attractive." Draco shook himself and focused on the task at hand. He parted the sea of partygoers and scanned the crowd for a hint of red waves and dark brown fluff. 

Ah, there. In a shadowy corner. The jokester brother was with them, and all three had their heads bent low over the table.

Interesting. 

Draco made his way over to the trio and stopped by their table. "Uh, mind if I join you for a moment?"

Ron—no point in referring to the brothers by their surname when more than one was present—snatched something out of view and gave him a wary look, but he conceded when his wife nudged him in the ribs. 

"Uh, I guess, but why? You don't usually seek us out."

"Too much history for that, but as it happens, I need to speak to you. Your sister has pushed my patience past its admittedly low limits—I know full well you're hacked off at her too, and for the same thing, Weasley, so there's no need to puff up like a bullfrog. I'm on your side here. She's been horrid to Potter, and I've had it. He deserves better."

The Weasley boys' shoulders relaxed and the tension left their eyes. 

"Hm. Didn't know you liked Harry," said Ron. "Well, beyond the orphanage. What changed your mind?"

"It's been changed for years, Weasley. We just had a lot of crap to work through." 

The others stared at him with raised eyebrows. Not good enough an explanation for Gryffindor gatekeepers, he supposed. Well, those three would guard Potter like nesting dragons no matter what their house, Draco was sure of that.

He sighed and showed his palms, empty and unthreatening. "The man saved my life, my livelihood, my parents' lives, and my father's sanity, and he gave me my family back and a purpose—one that _helps_ people. I, quite literally, owe him everything."

George closed his eyes and tightened his hand around his glass. "I know the feeling."

Draco nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, shall we join forces then? I have my boyfriend searching for information, too, and I imagine he'll join us once he's found something of worth."

To Draco's surprise, instead of polite inquiries, he received a round of knowing smirks.

"Yes, I heard about that," said George with a wicked glint in his eye. "I always pegged you Malfoys to have a bit of the exhibitionist in you, but even geniuses can be wrong from time to time, so it seems."

Draco choked. "W-what?"

"Shy little Neville, though," said Ron, "I _never_ would have thought him capable of that kind of confidence. Merlin. It's enough to make a man want to ask for some tips."

Granger—oh, hell, Draco might as well think of her by her first name, too—gave her husband a sharp look. " _Ronald_. We will _not_ be behaving that way in public either, and it was very mature of Draco to remind Neville of his principles."

"Oh, bloody hell." Draco buried his face in his hands and slumped into his seat, cheeks and ears flaming. "I— _how_? I just left him thirty seconds ago. Don't tell me Turpin _already_ got her claws into someone?"

Hermione giggled. "No, no. It's just that we have Ginny tagged with a Port-a-Pouty, and we happened to overhear your conversation."

"Dear gods, does that mean _she_ heard it, too? And what's a Port-a-Pouty?"

"This little beauty. Or, to be precise, this is half of it." George nudged Ron, and the man set a pair of red lips with a wagging tongue down on the tabletop. 

"It's a portable receiver," George said in answer to Draco's bemused look. "A bit of an improvement on our Extendable Ears, you see, as this one isn't limited by a cord and the transmitter is much more difficult to detect. Even better, the transmitter self-Banishes back to its receiver if anyone does catch it or if the user activates the Backtalk function, and its range and abilities are far more powerful than most listening devices. Therefore, it's doubtful anyone overheard you but us. You were being fairly discreet." George flashed him a cheeky wink. "I just happen to be a bit of an expert at getting into places I'm not supposed to be."

Draco snorted. "Well, that's… something of a relief anyway." He gave the lips a curious look. "So have you overheard anything interesting?"

Hermione gave him a stern look. "That depends."

"On?"

"How do you intend to use that information?"

Draco frowned into the crowd. "This isn't right. Having a party on Christmas Eve without her kids. Potter would give his wand arm to be with them tonight, and here she is flitting about and nattering on while he's left without them. And while her _kids_ are left alone."

"Mum has them," said Ron, "and once we're finished here, we'll be going back to the Burrow to spend the night with them and our lot. So they won't be alone."

"But Potter is, except for Severus."

"Yes." Hermione smiled a little. "I'm happy for them, at least. Harry's loved him for _ages_."

Draco snorted. "It's a mutual thing, trust me. Those two will be bonded before Ostara, see if they aren't."

"Thank goodness for that." She fixed him with a searching look. "You're right though. That's why we're here—because Ginny went on a tirade to steal Harry's kids from him, and now she doesn't even have the decency to spend the holidays with them. We had planned an intervention of sorts, but why are _you_ here?"

Draco set his hands on the table and gave them a cunning smile. "As it happens, for the very same thing."

"Oh?" George nodded. "Welcome to the pack then, Malfoy."

"Draco."

"Draco then. Now, scoot in closer, and I'll tell you everything we know."

Draco huddled in and perked his ears for every detail.

* * *

Albus Severus—or Al, as his father called him—crept away from his brother and cousin and made his way into the hallway, where the house was quieter. Hugo and Jamie wouldn't notice him, much fun as they were having. The Weird Sisters' holiday album was wicked, and so was dancing on Uncle Charlie's old bed and shrieking the choruses at the top of his lungs, but…. 

But the Weird Sisters' version of _Blue Christmas_ , fast-paced and full of punk riffs as it was, had reminded Albus of how his dad had once shared these silly moments with them, and now, he was gone. Strains of a punk-styled _All I Want for Christmas_ drifted up the stairs, and Al sniffled and hugged his chest.

_'All I want is Daddy to come home.'_

He hovered at the top of the stairs, torn. Would it do any good to tell his mum how much they all missed their dad? How much it hurt not to see him for so long? Mum didn't play as much as his dad did, and there were some things he just couldn't tell a _girl_. Well, there was always Uncle Ron and Grandpa Arthur and Uncle George and—well, he had _loads_ of uncles—but it wasn't the same. Dad always knew just what to say to make everything so clear, and right now, Al didn't understand much of anything.

Why didn't Dad come home? Why was Mum always so cranky? Why did she lose the plot every time Al talked about Professor Snape? Dad wouldn't have named Albus Severus after him if he hadn't been a good man.

If Al asked her, if he told her how much it all hurt, would she listen this time? He started down the stairs, desperate for his Mummy to understand, but….

But Mum wasn't there. She had gone out to a Christmas party instead of staying with them. His ears were still ringing with Nana's lecture about it. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione had gone to 'drag her back by her ears,' but they had been gone a long time, too, and maybe none of them would be back tonight.

Besides, Mummy would just shout at him if he mentioned Daddy anyway. 

Fat tears dripped down his cheeks. Why didn't Mummy want to be with them tonight? It was Christmas, and Christmas was for family—that's what Daddy had always said. And Daddy—he couldn't be there now either. He was all alone on Christmas, and Al couldn't even call him on the telephone to tell him they loved him. 

Was Daddy sad? Nana and Grandpa had said they were worried about him. Al wasn't supposed to hear that, but he had, and now he was worried, too.

_'Daddy shouldn't be alone on Christmas.'_

But what could he do? Mum would only shout and box his ears, and Nana and Grandpa couldn't bring him home either, though they _really_ wanted to. And Aunt 'Mione and Uncle Ron weren't there either. Who did that leave?

A new song drifted to his ears along with childish squeals of glee.

"You _better watch out, you better not cry…."_

Al gasped and wiped his face. Father Christmas! Of _course_! How could he have forgotten?

But… Al pressed his fingers to the stairwell window and winced at the cold. He couldn't see an inch into a snowstorm like this. Would even Rudolph be able to help him see Al through all that snow? Could even his magic powers help him hear over winds strong enough to rock the entire house?

Maybe, if he got closer to the North Pole, Father Christmas would hear. Maybe.

With a nod to himself, Al made his way up to the attic, but he stopped at the base of the ladder, lower lip trembling. Hadn't Uncle Ron told stories about a ghoul who lived up there? One who had once dressed up like him? 

He clutched at the hem of his striped pyjamas and sniffled. What should he do? He had thought the stories funny, and the ghoul seemed friendly enough in Uncle Ron's tales, but still—a _ghoul_! Nana didn't like him like Uncle Ron did, either. 

He started to turn back, but then he remembered Dad's stories about the one-time potions professor Al shared a name with. Professor Snape had faced a lot worse than ghouls, and he had never backed down, not once. Dad said he was the bravest man he had ever known, and if Al had the same name, well, maybe some of the professor's courage would rub off on him. 

Either way, his Dad needed him now. Al couldn't turn back because he was a little afraid. 

With a deep breath, he squared his shoulders, steeled his spine, and stepped onto the ladder.

_'I'm coming, Daddy. Just hold on a little longer.'_

* * *

Harry curled up in Severus' arms and snuggled under his chin. This was where he belonged. This was home. 

And if he could have his kids all piled in around him, giggling at silly Christmas movies in their pajamas and making a mess with popcorn and chocolate, he would be the happiest man in the world.

Instead, they had to spend the holidays with their grandparents. Well, Molly and Arthur adored the kids, and they certainly wouldn't let them suffer, but it had to sting that one parent had left them alone to go party and the other couldn't be with them no matter how much he longed to.

Gods, it hurt. Harry ached to spend these important moments with them, to hear them laugh and watch them grow up, and he couldn't. Lily was probably running the house by now. Was she potty-trained yet? Had she learned to say her 'R's properly? Was Al still bringing the house down with his potions play? Had Jamie gotten any better on his guitar?

Harry closed his eyes and let his thoughts fade. He wouldn't learn the answers to those questions anytime soon, and dwelling on them would only send him spiraling back into despair. Severus was trying to think of a plan to fix it. That was good enough, for now. It was more hope than he had had in months anyway.

Severus' slender fingers stroked through Harry's hair and rubbed his scalp. "Peace, my Harry. We will think of something."

Harry gave him a wan smile and kissed him softly. "Yeah. I believe you. It just hurts. I haven't seen them in six months."

" _Months_?" Severus tugged Harry into his lap. "Why so long? I had thought you said you had joint custody."

"I did. I had the kids for two weeks, then she did. It wasn't what I wanted, but it worked out well enough for us. Then, last year just after my birthday, the kids stayed with me, and Jamie decided he wanted to play 'auror' while I was making lunch. So he broke into my bedroom and borrowed my auror robes. 

"Lily was in the kitchen with me, where I could keep an eye on her, but Al went with Jamie, and Jamie had him act the part of the criminal. It was like cops and robbers, only—only I kept a spare wand hidden in my robe, Sev. It was glamoured, but those boys inherited my power. They saw right through it."

Severus breathed in sharply. 

"Yeah. Jamie grabbed the wand and—he was just playing, but he had heard me use the bone-breaking curse to stop an attacker in public a few months before, and…."

"Dear _gods_ , no."

Harry shuddered and buried his face in Severus' hair. "It could have been a disaster. Thankfully, it only hit Al's wrist, but oh, god, I was crushed with guilt and so was poor Jamie. I took Al to the hospital right away and had the healers do a full work-up on him just in case. He was okay, but Ginny went utterly postal. She screamed at me for _hours_ , and maybe I had it coming, but _fuck_! I thought I had it hidden well enough!"

Severus stroked Harry's hair. "Accidents happen, love. Children are stronger and more resourceful than we give them credit for. Merlin knows you proved it to me time and again." He cupped the back of Harry's neck and rubbed his thumb along the base of the auror's jaw. "I assume she went to the courts again?"

"Y-yeah. She took full custody. I don't even have visitation rights anymore because of it. She even put a restraining order on me. I—I tried so hard to be a good dad, Sev. I tried, but I failed, and now I can't even—they're _gone_. I can't hug them. I can't play with them. I can't hear their voices. All I have left are photos and stories and memories, and I can't go on like this. I need my babies, Sev."

Severus clutched Harry into his arms and rocked him close. "Shh. We will find a way, my love. I swear we will find a way."

Harry broke down, and Severus held him while he cried, murmuring soft promises of love and faith. Harry cleaved to him, desperate to ease the coldness inside, to fill the void his kids had left behind, or at least to ease the pain, and Severus was there. He wasn't sure how long he mourned in Severus' arms, but it felt like a long time, and Severus never left his side, never pushed him away.

When he pulled himself out of his grief, Severus wiped his tears, healed his irritated eyes and nose, and used charms to ease his laboured breathing. "Are you feeling any better, beloved?"

"A little. It doesn't fix it, but it helped to let some of it out and be held through it."

"I will always carry you when you are weak."

"Y-yeah. I think I don't mind if it's you." 

"Thank Merlin for that." Severus rubbed Harry's back. "Hm. Shall we watch something else?"

"It's a Wonderful Life."

Severus paused. "Are you sure that is wise, pet?"

"Yeah. I need to see it. I need to know that people out there still love me and miss me." Harry curled up in Severus' arms. "I know it sounds a little mad, but films like that give me hope right now."

Severus kissed Harry's hair. "Not mad at all." He tuned the magi-DVD player to their selection.

The player asked in a tinny voice, "Would you like to rent the film, _It's a Wonderful Life_ or purchase it for lifetime use?"

Severus glanced to his lover. "Hm. Purchase."

"Two galleons, please."

Severus sent the money into the player's simulated mouth and watched it gulp it down. 

"Thank you for your purchase! Enjoy the film."

The film began to play, and Severus tucked them both under a blanket, Harry snuggled within the warm shelter of his arms.

"Thanks, love," Harry murmured.

"You are welcome." Severus nuzzled Harry's hair. "Life may be dim right now, my love, but I swear I will help you bring wonder back into your existence, one moment at a time."

Harry turned him into a soft kiss. "Severus, you already have."

Severus smiled and held him closer. "Then let us watch and remind ourselves that these dreary days will not last forever."

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good."


	3. Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of spice!

#  **I'll Be Home for Yuletide**

* * *

## PART III

Draco leaned by the red room bar and watched his target weave around the room. The Weasleys had given him some _interesting_ information, and now, with this new weapon tucked away, Draco was only waiting for the right moment to strike. The urge to end it now made him twitchy. Gods, he wanted to enjoy the evening with his lover rather than both observing the Weaselette from opposite corners of the room, but every Slytherin worth their salt knew timing was half the battle. 

So he sipped a glass of firewhiskey—purchased from Aberforth himself rather than borrowed from Potter's unwitting 'generosity'—and waited.

Merlin, what a bore. Rather than an actual party, it seemed the night had become a gathering to discuss Weaselette's faux pas and Potter's budding relationship with his godfather. As Draco knew every detail of the former occasion now, and propriety—and his sanity—demanded he not speculate too far on the latter, he had little to amuse himself with. 

Well, other than watching his boyfriend move and observing Weaselette trip over herself to convince her guests that she wasn't jealous and fail miserably anyway. It was like watching a trainwreck in slow motion, and Draco couldn't help but find some sort of vindictive entertainment out of watching her hang herself. 

One could take the Slytherin out of the snake den, but no one could take the snake out of the Slytherin, he supposed. Or something like that.

Near ten o' clock, someone started playing Christmas music. 'Jingle Bell Rock,' 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree,' and 'Dancing Father Christmas' from the Weird Sisters' holiday album went by without trouble, but then "I'll be Home for Christmas" came on, and couples started pairing off. 

Draco's neck twitched. Call it instinct, divine intervention, or just an ability to read certain boneheaded Gryffindors—gained later in life than was good for him, perhaps, but not too late to be useful—but, whatever the source of the twinge in his senses, some little birdy had just twittered in his ear that his moment was coming. 

Neville locked gazes with him from across the room, a question in his eyes, and Draco gave him a shy smile. Everyone else was dancing, so why shouldn't he take advantage of the moment? But as he started towards his boyfriend, a flash of red entered his peripheral vision, and he realised Neville wasn't the only one with his heart set on a dance.

Oh no. No-no-no. It all made sense now. The absentee 'date', the Weaselette's impromptu invitation, the girl's obvious attempt to dress like a pureblood queen. 

_Draco_ was the mystery date!

Oh, _hell_ no. He wasn't fool enough to jump on that train even if he hadn't just started with Neville. Not to mention it would feel like a betrayal to the speccy git who kept saving his arse, and whatever he could say about the Weasley twit or even certain former members of his family, _he_ paid his debts. He owed everything to Potter, and—and wait. Potter? His former rival, his coworker, the co-founder of his family's orphanage…?

Oh, so _that_ was the bint's plan—divide and conquer. Hm. Ambitious, for an artless Gryffindor, but she hadn't nearly the kind of cunning needed to fool a Slytherin. Even one as arguably lionish as Draco.

He turned away, hoping his disinterest would make itself clear, but no, Gryffindors didn't get subtlety. One had to beat them over the head with one's responses to get a point across and….

Draco paused as a finger tapped his shoulder.

And that was just what he would do.

Well, Severus had always said he had a flair for the dramatic, hadn't he? Not that it wasn't a laughable instance of the pot calling the kettle black, but even so, that talent would come in useful now.

Draco turned, Malfoy haughtiness in high gear. "May I help you?"

Weasley-turned-Potter-turned-Weasley flashed a blinding smile at him and ramped up the charm. "Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to dance with me." She batted her eyelashes, and Draco forced back a sneer.

"Just to clarify, you are interested in more than a dance?"

Weasley blushed pink. "That was blunt."

"Gryffindors tend to respond better to bluntness than subtlety in my experience." Especially boneheaded twits.

She frowned. "Uh, okay? I mean, yeah, I was. I did ask you here as my plus one, after all."

"I see." Draco sipped his drink and set it aside. "Then the answer is absolutely… _not_." 

Ginny gaped. "You—what? No?"

"That's what I said, Weasley." He let his scowl show this time. "Do you take me for a fool? After the way you treated Potter, you expect _me_ to get in line to be the next ex you throw to the hippogriffs? I've spent too much time and effort trying to rebuild my reputation from the ground up just to let you slaughter it now."

"H-hey! That's not fair! Harry was dangerous! I got away and got my kids away before he could hurt us!"

Draco scoffed. "Potter? Dangerous? Have you forgotten how hard that man fought to _save your lives_? How hard he fought even to save _mine_ , his enemy?"

Weasley flushed and turned to her youngest brother for help, but he only glared at her and took position at Draco's flank, his wife in tow. Good. Draco could use the support. 

"Don't think I don't see what you're up to, Weasley." Draco made sure to say it just loudly enough for Turpin's infamous twitchy ears. "I've heard how Uncle Severus—that's right, he's family—showed up on your supposed turf tonight. Feeling a little _underappreciated_ , hm? Angry that your increasingly blatant bids to strip everything beautiful from Potter's life—everything but _you_ , of course—haven't brought results like you thought they would? I suppose now, you think all it will take to send Potter running headfirst back into your arms is a little… _fling_ with his former rival? Fighting fire with fire, isn't that how the muggles say it, Hermione?"

The woman smirked. "A perfect usage of that idiom, Draco. There may be hope for you yet."

"A damn sight better than I would've done with it anyway," Ron added with a grin. 

Draco gave an exaggerated bow. 

"You're mad," Weaselette protested, eyes wide and mouth turned down in a shocked sort of scowl. "Merlin, Draco. I just wanted a dance. If you weren't interested, all you had to do was say no."

"Well then, read my lips: I'm not interested."

Weasley pouted. "You're missing out."

"Actually, no. My boyfriend is right over there, and he's twice the looker you are. And loyal, which is a concept far above your head."

Neville grinned and waved. "Hello, beautiful. But only twice the looker? I'm insulted."

Draco laughed. "Well, I was trying not to be _too_ uncharitable."

"Ah. Fair enough."

The crowd burst into snickers and giggles, and Weaselette turned red. "H-hey! That's not fair. I'm not ugly."

"Well, you weren't." Draco said, expression cold. "You weren't when you fought beside your friends and protected them with all your strength. You weren't when you stood by your family after your brother's death and helped them as best as you could. You weren't when you tried to be a decent mum to your kids. But when you started this little vendetta against Potter and my godfather—and it goes much further back than your divorce, so don't try to blame your issues on that—when you turned on them, all because you just couldn't stand the fact that your perfect little hero was a little confused, a little broken after spending literally his entire life as the focal point of a war, then you turned ugly as the arse end of one of Aberforth's goats."

"You leave the goats out of this," Aberforth called from the bar. "They've got more sense than that one, sure as the day."

"Oi!"

Weasley's sharp cry brought forth another round of giggles, and Weasley stamped her foot. 

"Stop it! You're all just being mean. I'm not jealous, I'm not disloyal, and I'm not _ugly_!"

"Sure couldn't get Potter interested in you again though," someone called from the crowd. Turpin, probably. That woman had a bright future awaiting her as the Prophet's next 'hard-hitting' reporter, Draco had no doubt of that.

"I'm not trying to!"

"Good thing, as he's queer as a three-sided galleon," said Dean Thomas. "Could've told you that in sixth form. Oh wait, I _did_ tell you—and that despite the fact that you dumped me for trying to protect you _during a war_ —but you insisted he couldn't be gay because he snogged you _once_ in three months."

Another round of snickers went up, and Weasley scowled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It wasn't _once_ ," she protested.

"Wasn't more than twice," Ron said with a shrug. "As I was still being a prat and keeping track and all. He never asked for _privacy_ either."

Weasley huffed. "You all know the Room is a thing that exists."

"But not one Harry had any interest in usin' to bend ye over the nearest desk," said Seamus Finnigan. "Was too busy checkin' out _my_ arse, actually, even if the poor sod didn't catch on until after ye dug your harpy claws into him."

"Snape's arse too," Thomas added with a grin. "I have to say, he _does_ have rather a nice one, doesn't he, Seamus?"

"Are ye mad? The man's been spoken for by our leader, the sergeant of the auror corps, and the man who defeated You-Know-Who with a ruddy _disarmin' jinx_. I choose life, thanks."

The group burst into laughter.

Weasley scowled. "So—so you admit he's dangerous and I did the right thing getting him away from my kids, then."

" _Dangerous_?" Ron scowled. "The most dangerous thing he ever did to the kids was take Jamie for a spin on his broom before he could walk."

"Ron! What about _breaking Al's wrist_?"

"Harry didn't hurt Al," said Hermione with a sharp look. "Jamie got into things he knew full well he wasn't supposed to and hurt Al by accident. Those things happen with kids, and anyway, you didn't seem overly concerned when Al accidentally overdosed Lily on calming draught at last month's Weasley family dinner. Had your mum less of a grasp on antidotes or control in a crisis, you might have had to bury Harry's daughter, and he didn't even _know_ until we told him."

Ginny winced. "Well, but it's not the same! I never threatened them, and—"

"Neither has Harry," Luna said with a shake of her head. "The nargles are blinding you. And deafening you, it seems. You should really take them out of your ears."

Draco couldn't stifle a snort, and he wasn't alone. Luna was certainly entertaining even if he didn't know what she was talking about half the time.

"Luna, that's not fair," Ginny whinged. "You know he wakes up and attacks me."

Draco scoffed. "The man was used as a living weapon against evil in the bloodiest war Britain has seen for centuries and you're surprised he has nightmares?"

Turpin added in a honeyed tone, "And, by the by, Ginny, if Potter had honestly attacked you, with all due respect, you'd be a smudge of ash on the ground."

Ginny slammed her hands into her hips. "But he _does_! Did. He woke up screaming and called me a Death Eater and—"

"That is not an attack," Hermione snapped. "That is PTSD. He was having a panic attack, you twit. All you had to do was talk to him and help him remember the war was over rather than acting like an absolute dolt."

"It wasn't just a panic attack! Sometimes he'd just be doing something normal and then, all of a sudden, he would whip out his wand and shout at us to get away."

Draco rolled his eyes. "That, Weasley, is called a _flashback_. It's part and parcel of post-traumatic stress disorder as well, and if you can't handle Potter's flashbacks, then you'd best keep well away from _me_. I have it, too. I daresay most of us do."

"Too right," said Neville with a shudder. Draco motioned him over, and Neville wrapped him in his arms, much to Weasley's obvious annoyance.

"Looks like your 'date' has a date, Weasley," Turpin said with a smirk. 

Really, Draco couldn't help liking the vicious little harpy at moments like this. She certainly had her uses anyway.

Weasley stuck out her chin and pretended not to hear. "It wasn't just PTSD. I did research on that, you know. _I_ have PTSD. I have nightmares and flashbacks, too, but I never lose track of reality. Harry is mad."

Finnigan snorted. "Then why are ye tryin' so hard to get back in his pants?"

"I'm _not_ , damn it!"

The laughter and snorts all around proved Draco's little plan had, at least, had one benefit: no one would believe her lies ever again. Maybe it would work in the long run even if it didn't snap her back to reality immediately.

"I'm not," she tried again, but her voice was small and punctuated with sniffles.

"You are," Ron said with a scoff. "Anyone with half a brain can see right through your little ploys and jealous rants, but that's not even the most important thing here. Where are your kids, Ginny? Do you even _know_?"

Weasley scowled. "Of course I do. They're with Mum and Dad."

"No, _where_ are they? Are they sleeping? Are they having a bit of a late night and romping with Hugo and Rosie? Are they running wild in the streets of Ottery St. Catchpole while you try, badly, to convince everyone that you're not jealous and that Harry's illness—the same one damn near every soldier with a soul endures—is dangerous, even while you plot to use Draco to win him back?"

Ron scoffed. "Utterly stupid plan, by the way. The man is _gay_. There is no winning him back. He can't stand women for that purpose, period, and he's been in love with Snape all his life anyway. So cut the crap, and, like I said, _where the hell are your kids_?"

Weasley stepped back a little, expression uncertain. "Um, well, I mean, it's late so—" She scowled. "And, besides, you're here too. Where are _yours_ then?"

"Hanging out with Jamie and Al in Charlie's old bedroom and listening to the Weird Sisters' holiday album on Mum's wireless. They're being a bit more wild than we like on a day, but it's Christmas, so 'Mione and I are pretending we don't know they're up past their bedtime."

Weasley's face fell. "How…?"

"The Port-a-Pouty transmitter we gave Mum before we left. She would have boxed our ears about leaving, too, just as she did yours, but we made it clear we would be back soon and we didn't actually want to leave, but we had to do _something_ to help Harry and the kids. Do you even know how _they_ feel about this custody battle? Your kids, I mean. Do you even _care_?"

_'Well said, Ron.'_

Of all the things said, this was the one that hit home. Weasley hugged her chest and stepped back, expression tinged with shock and distress. 

"O-of course I care. I…."

"I'm going to guess the answer to both questions is no, little brother." George stepped out of the crowd with a sardonic wave and two of three of his remaining brothers on either side. "Surprised to see us, dear sister? Charlie would have come, too, but the baby has colic, and he can't leave Andrei alone with her. _Devoted_ parent and all."

Weaslette flinched at the subtle slap.

Bill crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her. "Enough of this nonsense, Ginny. It's gone too far now, and we're all fed up with watching Harry and your kids suffer because you can't accept the fact that Harry is gay and won't be coming back to be your hero on a white abraxan, ever."

"Hear, hear," Percy agreed. "After all we lost in battle, you ought to cherish these moments with your kids—"

"Especially since you ripped them away from Harry," said Ron.

"Just so," Percy went on. "Instead you're here making an utter fool of yourself and hosting a party that you didn't even invite Harry to."

"Not that he would have come if you had," Draco said with a smirk. "Too busy nailing Uncle Severus to the wall, probably."

Weasley gasped and whirled on Draco, fists clenched and face twisted in a scowl. "That traitor? He would never let anyone do _that_ to him. He's too cold to care anyway."

"But you aren't jealous _at all_." George scoffed. "I've even forgiven the man, for Merlin's sake." He toyed with the hair covering his missing ear. "I'm going to argue that Severus hurt me much more than he ever hurt you, and I forgave him. You know why? Because he's a bloody hero, and he gave more of himself for this war than most of us. It cost me my twin and my ear, but it damn near cost him his _soul_ , and he still fought with all his strength."

George rubbed his neck below the old scars. "And Severus apologised after he got out of hospital anyway. I was the first he sought out—other than Harry, of course, as Harry never left his side."

"Which ought to have been your first clue," Bill muttered. "But you were too busy idealising him as your perfect little hero, and never mind that Harry had no chance to heal after all he endured, no time to ever consider what he wanted for himself before you thrust all of your expectations upon him."

The Weaselette winced.

"We're all a bit guilty of that last part," said Ron. "Even me. Harry's miserable in the corps, but he went for training because I was excited and assumed he would. He didn't want to let us down when we were all he'd ever had."

"Too right," said George. "He was absolutely sure I would never want to speak to him again when Fred…." He trailed off with a shaky breath, and every Weasley took a moment to grieve their losses. Draco held Neville tighter. 

George went on in subdued tones. "He was sure I would turn on him because he couldn't end the war before we lost Fred, but I told him he was being a berk, and that not all the burden of the war fell upon him anyway. We bloody well almost lost _him_ , too, and I was just—just so glad I didn't need to bury two brothers that day."

Weasley sniffled and stared at the floor, cheeks red and eyes wet. A little spark of light warmed Draco's chest. So the bint _did_ have a heart under the selfishness and envy.

Maybe this hail Mary would work after all.

"You keep insisting that Harry is dangerous," Percy said in a sorrowful tone, "but you've forgotten just how much of his life, his soul he sacrificed to make sure we were safe. Have you forgotten he fought a version of Riddle and a bloody basilisk at twelve years old to save your life? No, you probably use that incident in your mind to justify the mad belief that Harry _must_ belong to you somehow, all because he was decent enough to want to help his best friend's little sister not be eaten alive, poisoned, or turned to stone."

Another flinch said his words had struck true.

"But what you fail to take into account is that's who Harry _is_. He loves others more than himself, to the point that it's a bit unhealthy. If any part of his illness concerns me, it's that. He gave so much of himself growing up, both before the war and after it, that he's never learned how to fight for what _he_ wants. He's never learned he has the right to fight for it, when we've all treated him like a toy hero on a pedestal and never mind the damage it did to his young psyche."

Weasley wasn't the only person to drop their head at those words. Good.

"Even I expected him to save me," Draco said with a wry smile. "He had every right to beat my arse into the next millennium, but he saved my life instead. He fought through Fiendfyre to save the life of an enemy whose allies had just attacked him and put the lives of his friends at risk." Draco squeezed Ron's shoulder in thanks, too. Ron nodded back.

"He could have left us there to die in our own stupidity, but he saved us anyway, because saving people is all he bloody well knows how to do. Even now, he's so much happier working with the kids at the orphanage and teaching them the basics of self-defence and healing rather than fighting the bad guys because that way he's protecting lives rather than ending them. He's happier in his volunteer position than as a sergeant in the corps, because he can't stand to hurt anyone, and _this_ is the man you call dangerous and self-centred?" 

He scoffed. "Potter is the bravest, most self-sacrificial, most protective person I've ever met save only one—and he would be the other person you're so determined to destroy."

"Y-you're mad," Weasley cried, but her protest carried no weight, and even she knew it.

"Do you know Harry knew he was gay for two years before he told you, Ginny?"

Hermione's words shocked the woman, judging by her expression.

"But, if he knew, why…?"

"Because you were pregnant with Al at the time he worked it out, and he hated the idea of leaving you to raise his kids alone just because he wasn't happy himself. He was fully prepared to stay married anyway and do his best to love you despite his lack of physical interest, because he loves others more than himself, and his kids mean everything to him. He only told you when he realised he was in love with Master Snape after all this time, and he knew he could never give you the life he believed you deserved. He let you go not to hurt you, but to set you free to find someone better. Not that you could do, given Harry, Neville, and Ron are the best men ever, but there it is."

"I think you're leaving one out," said Draco, and Hermione nodded. 

"Yes. Master Snape, too, but he's rather out of our league, don't you think?"

Draco chuckled. "I would pay to see his face if he ever heard you say that." 

Hermione smirked. "I could always tell him."

"In all seriousness, please do. The man needs to hear it." Draco turned to Weasley, who had tears running down her face. "And you needed to hear this. You've taken everything from Potter, Weasley. His home, his kids, his fortune, and even his reputation—to some folks anyway."

"Idiots that they are," Ron muttered.

"Indeed, but this is about her."

Ron conceded the point and waved Draco on. 

"You've taken everything from him, Weasley, and honestly, I'm concerned for the state of his health. Well, Severus will see to him now, but before tonight…." Draco rubbed his face. "None of us could reach him. For all that we tried to give him hope—yes, even me—he's been sinking further and further into depression since you stole his children away from him, and we were powerless to help him. I was afraid one day I'd come to the orphanage and find out our defence instructor had gone on in the night because he couldn't take the pain of this world anymore, and I had a damn good reason to feel that way. Honestly, I still do."

"He's fading," Hermione said, eyes haunted. "It's—it's why we all came. To try to make you see what you're doing to him before it's too late and the kids lose their father for good. Thank Merlin Master Snape was here tonight to breathe some life back into him, but…."

"But it won't be so simple," said George. "Falling in love isn't a cure for depression—believe me on that—and as long as you keep his babies away from him, Ginny, he's going to stay depressed no matter what we do. So he's still in danger, all because you're using his kids against him as a ploy. You want him back, but all you're going to do is end up sending him to an early grave."

"The kids will know, too," said Ron. "They already blame you for losing what little time they had with their dad. Teddy won't go near you unless the younger kids beg him to, and Jamie told me he hates you for taking his dad away last week. It wasn't done in a fit of preadolescent melodramatics either; he was perfectly calm when he said it, at least until his grief got to him. He _meant_ it, Ginny, and Al and Lily will be there soon, too. Al is already starting to distance himself from you—did you even notice?"

Weasley covered her mouth and shook her head. "No. No, the kids—I'm their mum. They c-can't hate me, can they?"

"Scorpius hates his mum," said Draco. "And that's just because Astoria ran out on me with another bloke and hasn't had time for her own son, yet she expects him to obey her. How much more do you think your lot will hate you when they realise they no longer _have_ a dad because of your selfish, vindictive behaviour?"

Weasley gave a strangled whimper. "But I love my kids. I…."

"Then get your act together, Ginny," said Percy. "I know better than anyone the cost of putting selfish goals over family. I hurt all of you once, too, and had you not been decent people willing to look past my stupid mistakes, I might have lost you forever by putting myself above everything that matters." 

He held her shoulders. "It's not too late to do the right thing, Ginny. You can still fix this, but you have to grow up. You have to realise that Harry is a human being with flaws and dreams and emotions of his own, and he never belonged to you. You have to realise that your feelings for him do not, in any way, obligate him to return them. You have to move on from this stupid plot to make him as miserable as possible until he comes crawling back, realise he never will and you're being a spoiled brat to expect it, and start acting like a decent mum for your kids. Otherwise, this selfish bid to force Harry back into your life will cost you everything."

She broke down, and Percy hugged her. 

"I know. I know it hurts to let go of things you wanted for years, but wouldn't it be better to be honest and find a place for yourself? Wouldn't it be better to build your life around who you are than what _he_ is? Or rather, what you think he should be?" 

"I… don't know."

Percy sighed and squeezed her shoulders. "Come on, Ginny. Let's go somewhere private and talk. You need some brotherly advice, and I don't want you to suffer even if you rather brought this on yourself."

Weasley sobbed and let her brother lead her away, and Draco slumped back into Neville's chest with a sigh. 

"So that's that. That's about all we can do." He turned to his lover. "Do you think it's enough?"

"I think so. She looked like it hit her in the end, how much she's cost herself and Harry, too. I hope she'll grow up and get her act together for the kids and Harry's sake, but even if she doesn't, I'm so bloody proud of you. Well done, love."

Draco blushed. "Really?"

"By Merlin, yes."

Neville grabbed his face and dragged him close, and hot, soft lips collided with Draco's own. He gasped at the heat, then melted into Neville's arms with a whimper. Oh, gods. That was Neville's tongue in his mouth, his strong arms holding him up, his fierce desire pulsing against Draco's thigh. Draco whimpered—couldn't begin to help it—and clutched at Neville's hair. Lightning and fire ignited in his veins, and he pressed closer, lost to the world and desperate for more of those labour-hardened hands all over his body.

Neville pulled back with a pant. "Promised I wouldn't molest you in public, but it's getting harder to keep that promise by the second, so might we go home now, love?"

"Not the only thing getting hard," Turpin muttered with a snicker.

Draco hadn't the capacity to respond. He gave his lover a dazed nod. "Yeah. Home sounds… good."

"Brilliant."

As Neville led him out by the hand, he caught Ron passing George a galleon out of the corner of his eye.

"I should really stop taking your bets," the auror muttered.

George grinned. "Pleasure doing business with you, brother." He raised his voice to call, "Happy Christmas, Neville, Draco! Do try to wait until you make it to the apparition point before you start stripping each other's clothes off, or this poor sod will lose another galleon for every piece that doesn't make it to the manor!"

Draco snapped awake for that. "Oi! Don't bet on _us_ , you idiots."

George's snickering grin faded into the whirling whiteness of the storm. Neville hardly waited for the door to slam shut before he dragged Draco into another soul-searing kiss.

It looked as though Ron would be several galleons poorer that Christmas.

* * *

Harry yawned and rested against his lover's shoulder. "Merlin, it's been a long night, lovely as it was for the most part. I'm exhausted."

Severus kissed his forehead. "Hm. I am feeling rather tired myself, love. Do you want to go to bed?"

Harry swallowed through a tight throat. "Can I…?"

"Please. I want you in my arms."

"Yeah. Me too." Harry brushed Severus' lips with his own. "Hey, love? How many days did you say are left in Yuletide?"

"It lasts until the first of January, so a week."

"Seven is the most powerful magical number, you know."

Severus gave him a curious look. "Yes, so I've heard."

"Well, since we didn't get to celebrate the solstice together, and neither of us have gifts for each other tomorrow, what do you say I give you gifts of new experiences every night of the season?"

Severus' throat bobbed. "How do you mean, love?"

"Well, I said I wanted to make your first time special, did I not? Wouldn't it be special to make love to you during the season of rebirth? When the sun rises from the ashes of winter and turns the darkness back for spring to come? It's almost poetic, you know?" And symbolic of the way Severus had brought hope back to his dark, lonely existence.

Yes. Making love to Severus tonight, with snow falling all around and the candles to give light to the dark night would be perfect.

Severus trembled under his hands, eyes wide and dark, but Harry sensed more fear than desire in his expression. 

"Severus?" Harry kissed him lightly. "Hey, it's okay. If you're not ready, it can wait. Whenever we make love, it's bound to be beautiful."

Severus let out a shaky breath. "I have never been touched at all, Harry. The idea of everything at once is overwhelming. Perhaps we might start… smaller?"

"Of course. Would you like me to explore your body and teach you about pleasure?"

"Oh." Severus' fingers curled in Harry's shirt. "I-I would be amenable to that, but I cannot also give you new experiences as a Yuletide gift." 

"You are the best gift I've ever received."

Severus smiled slightly and pulled him closer. "As you are the same for me, I would still like to share something of mine with you."

Harry smiled and tucked Severus' hair behind his ears. "Hm. Is there a potion or something…?"

Severus frowned. "Potions are usually used to fix a problem, not… hm." His eyes flicked across Harry's face. "How attached are you to your spectacles?"

"I hate the blasted things."

"Wonderful. Then my first gift will go over well, I think."

Harry grinned. "Well, now I'm curious." He whispered against Severus' ear. "But I think I should go first, don't you? With our gifts, I mean." He nipped gently at the soft lobe, and Severus arched up, a gasp in his throat.

"Oh, Merlin. Yes, by the gods, yes. I have waited long enough."

Harry chuckled. "You sure have. Let's take care of that now, hm?"

Severus shivered and half-dragged Harry upstairs. Harry laughed all the way to Severus' bedroom, a tastefully-decorated room with indigo and silver fabrics and old-fashioned oaken furniture. A string of fairy lights decorated the man's canopy, like stars against a midnight sky.

Harry stopped just inside the door and rubbed his mouth. "I-I can't remember the last time I really laughed."

Severus pressed a light kiss to his lips. "I shall endeavour to bring you joy from now on."

Harry blinked hard and smiled. "You ended up giving me gifts without even trying." He stepped closer, so their lips brushed. "And now it's time for yours."

"Yes," Severus whispered. "Yes, touch me."

Harry kissed him with slow, deep passion and guided him back until his legs hit the bed. Severus shivered at Harry's hands on his hips and gasped as Harry guided him to fall back onto the duvet. Harry lifted the man's socked feet onto the bed and straddled his hips.

"If you're ever uncomfortable or need me to slow down, just say so, okay? You are _not_ obligated to give me anything. I'm happy just being at your side, so don't feel pressured to perform or anything. No matter what happens tonight or what doesn't, it's already been the best Christmas Eve I've had since Lily was born."

"She was born on Christmas?"

Harry chuckled. "The solstice, actually. She's four now." His smile slipped. "I missed it. I couldn't see her even on her birthday. Do you—do you suppose she even remembers me?"

Severus held Harry's face. "I cannot answer that, pet, but I believe she must. There are bonds our hearts do not forget easily. Either way, this will not go on much longer. We _will_ bring them home soon. Next Yuletide, we shall ring in the season with a birthday party for your little girl and a solstice feast that night. Yes?"

Harry blinked back tears. "I-I hope so."

"We shall." Severus stroked Harry's cheek. "Are you still…?"

"Y-yeah. I need to forget for a while. Just promise you'll let me know if you need to stop or slow down?"

"Yes, I promise." Severus dragged him into a deep kiss. "Touch me."

The slight hint of dominance in his tone excited and worried Harry by turns. If he truly gave all of himself, would he come away with nothing all over again? Severus loved him, so maybe it would be okay to hope. Maybe. For now, he wanted to lead. To drive him mad with passion and see him gone to his first real experience of pleasure. Merlin, the mere thought….

Harry gave a soft moan and kissed Severus breathless. A little suction on his bottom lip, a deep stroke into that slick heat, a twist of his tongue against Severus' own, and he could barely think for pleasure.

"Harry…."

"Yes, love. Let go." He guided Severus' hands above his head. "Let me show you this time, yeah?"

Severus' breath shuddered. "Gods, yes. Dominate me."

" _Merlin_." Harry pinned Severus' hands under his weight and watched him writhe. Every sensation was new to him, every touch overwhelming. The sheer power left Harry intoxicated and craving another taste.

"Keep your hands there. I don't want to tie you up the first night, but don't move them anyway."

Severus gasped and tipped his head back. "Y-yes, love."

"Gods, you're already driving me mad." Harry opened Severus' shirt buttons one by one and kissed every inch of pale flesh he revealed. Severus arched as his kisses dropped below his ribs, and whimpered at the first kiss below his navel, and gods Harry wanted to go on, to taste this man in all his glory.

But he had every intention of taking this slow, and Severus might not be ready for that yet. Best to introduce him to love slowly.

Harry slipped off Severus' socks and kissed his arches, then up to his ankles. His feet were as slim and long as his hands, narrow and elegant with long toes. "You have beautiful feet."

Severus turned pink. "I-I do?"

"Just like your gorgeous hands." Harry moved up Severus' body again and sucked one of those long, slim fingers into his mouth. The soft moan this elicited from his partner set him ablaze. 

Slowly, he made love to Severus' hands. Sucking his fingers, teasing the pads with his tongue, soft, gentle kisses down his palm, firmer, open-mouthed suction on those delicate wrists. Severus watched him the entire time, lips parted and eyes burning with the intensity of his desire.

Harry slipped Severus' arms out of his shirt and guided the man to lie back on the sheets, arms raised above his head and slim body flushed and trembling with the onslaught of new sensation.

Perfect. He was perfect. Slender and lithe, with a covering of downy black hair across his chest that tapered at the waist. A few scars marked his torso, probably from a whip, and a shiny burn scar crossed one flank. He was a bit too far to the slim side, too, but to Harry, he was stunning, and watching his first experience of pleasure was almost more than his self-control could bear.

"I-I know I am not much, but—" 

Harry stopped Severus' insecurities with a heated kiss. "Look at me, love. Look at what the sight of you does to me." He leaned back, revealing his fierce bulge and struggle for control, and gasped at the gentle touch of a curious hand against his erection. 

"Oh, gods. I thought I—nngh—told you to keep your hands up there?"

Severus gave him a smirk that said he knew exactly what he had done, and Harry had to fight not to ravish him that instant. 

"Naughty—ah—nnghn." All thought stopped as a spell opened his trousers, and firm fingers traced him through a thin layer of silk. " _Severus_."

"You said I am to experience new things tonight," Severus said, voice low and breathless. "This is new." 

Cool fingertips pushed down Harry's underwear and a firm palm wrapped around his shaft, and Harry threw his head back and whined at the ecstasy of it. The heat. Oh. _Oh_. He was burning, melting, dying at the touch of Severus' hand, and he could do nothing but rock and fall to pieces in his arms. 

"S-Sev'rus—ah—please. Gotta—too much."

Severus released him with a smirk. "I am not a patient man, Mister Potter."

Harry dragged the scattered bits of his mind back into order. "Oh? Then maybe I should punish you for breaking the rules, Mister Snape."

Severus shivered. "Oh. Yes, perhaps you should, sir."

"Damn." Harry dragged Severus into a fiery kiss. "Keep that up and I won't last long enough to give you your present."

Severus tipped his chin back. "Then hurry, because I am struggling, too."

"Okay. Okay, love." But Harry couldn't resist exploring his slim neck and the scars all along the side of Severus' throat. Tracing his tongue over them brought a delicious moan from Severus, and Harry spent a moment exploring every curve and testing what reactions he could draw from his lover.

"Harry," Severus gasped out, "if this is my punishment, you may find it counterproductive to your plans shortly."

Harry dragged his teeth lightly down Severus' throat, and a strangled cry escaped his lover. "Mm. Just couldn't help myself." He moved down Severus' body, pausing to tease each of those pert, brown nipples, and to toy with his navel. Severus threw his head back and arched his hips.

"Harry, for the love of Merlin, stop teasing."

Harry chuckled and nuzzled his face into Severus' clothed erection, and Severus gasped and grabbed the sheets.

"Ah, Harry, please!"

Severus begging him to get on with it, Harry decided, was a wonderful Christmas present indeed.

Gently, he lowered Severus' zip and tugged down his boxers—black, of course. Severus' erection sprung free, long and slim just like the rest of him. Harry's mouth watered at the sight of his rosy head, the wet glisten at the slit, the masculine musk that set his senses alight. 

"Gods, I want you." Harry stripped himself in record time and dragged his nose along the underside of his lover's cock, barely resisting the temptation to swallow him down in one fell swoop. 

Severus gave a stuttered whimper and arched up, expression pained with the intensity of his pleasure. "H-Harry, _please_."

"Yeah. Yeah, enough waiting." He gripped the hot, firm flesh and stroked with gentle pressure, and Severus' sharp cry went straight to his groin. Dark eyes squeezed shut, narrow hips rocked into his hand, long fingers curled into the sheets and clutched at the fabric for dear life. Severus' pleas garbled and dissolved into strained moans and harsh pants, and his head dropped back, revealing a flushed, corded throat and a heaving chest below. "H-Harry, I can't hold—oh gods."

"It's okay, love. Come. I want to watch every drop."

Severus whimpered and arched, and Harry let his free hand trace those taut, neat bollocks under his straining cock. A single fingertip down the furred seam made Severus yelp, and a gentle squeeze had him thrashing. Harry rolled them and pressed gently into his cock, and Severus gave a stuttered, gasping cry.

"H-Harry, I—"

"Come, love. Let me watch you come."

At another pump and well-timed squeeze, Severus arched off the bed, fists clenched in the sheets and hair spilling all around. A strangled cry escaped him, and then, a surge of white liquid pulsed onto his stomach. Harry watched each successive spurt, his own need almost painful. He didn't stop stroking him until Severus dropped, gasping for breath and thighs trembling. 

"Beautiful," Harry murmured. "Every second." He lapped at the slick fluid and savoured the taste of his lover. Severus whimpered and stroked Harry's hair. 

"But you…?"

Harry smiled and straddled Severus' hips. "Do you want to…?"

Severus moaned and took him in hand. Harry threw his head back and let pleasure wash over him. Each tentative tug gained confidence, each pull brought him closer to that blissful peak. He rocked helplessly and gave himself up to the tide of Severus' love, and when it washed over him, fiery and hot and cleansing all at once, Harry knew what it meant to surrender and find peace in it. 

He flopped down atop Severus' chest, utterly content for the first time in… possibly ever. The loss of his children still coloured his pleasure with a tinge of sorrow, but in Severus' arms, he remembered what it meant to be happy anyway, at least for this one, lovely moment. 

"I love you," Severus murmured into Harry's hair. "With all of me."

Harry lifted his head and smiled back. "I love you, too. Happy Christmas, Severus."

Severus kissed Harry's forehead. "Happy Christmas, my Harry."

"It's—it _is_ happy. Thank you, love."

Severus wrapped him up in warm, gentle arms and a soft blanket. Harry cleaned them up with a gentle spell designed for that purpose and snuggled into his side. 

"Goodnight, love."

"It truly is a good night." Severus held him tighter. "Sleep well, beloved."

Harry hesitated. "If—if I don't, if I have nightmares…?"

"Then I will hold your hand and remind you that the war is over and you are safe until your lucidity returns, and after. Will you do the same for me?"

Harry gave him a relieved smile. "Y-yeah. Always, love."

Severus smiled back. "Yes. Always sounds lovely."

Harry fell asleep with a lighter heart than he had known in a decade.

* * *

Ginny returned to the Burrow alone after a long talk with her brother. Every miserable experience from the night jangled in her tired brain, and she could hardly process any of it. She just wanted to sleep and hope the morning brought some clarity to her dim existence.

Surely she hadn't been as bad a mum as they all seemed to think. Surely she had had _some_ excuse to leave Harry the way she had done? Well, perhaps stealing his kids away had been cruel, but she was angry! Her kids had been hurt, and he had let it happen. It was just sensible to want to protect her kids, right?

Even to herself, her excuses sounded trite. How many times had her kids done stupid things in her care, and Harry had never hurt her for it.

Maybe she really had been selfish. But—

She froze outside the stoop. It was three in the morning. No one should be awake at this hour, but the kitchen light was on. She hadn't seen it through the snow until the roof of the porch provided a little shelter. And was that the fire going? Why?

Heart pounding in her ears, Ginny raced into the kitchen. What had gone wrong? Had her mum taken ill? Her father? Her kids were okay, or someone surely would have told her—right?

She skidded to a halt just inside the doorway. A small bundle of blankets sat, shivering, by the fire, and Arthur knelt before it, rubbing a pair of small, white feet with something that smelled spicy. Molly hovered over a pot on the cooker, wand stirring the liquid to heat it faster. Tears streaked the woman's face and her hands trembled. Arthur revealed less of his emotions, but his eyes were too wet, too, and his hands shook around the small ankles. 

"I—what happened?"

Molly jumped and whirled around. "Oh, Ginny. You're home. Arthur and I thought you would be staying the night with your date tonight when you didn't come home at midnight."

She barely suppressed a flinch. "N-no, I was talking to Percy. What is it? Who…?" 

A small voice called, "Oh, Mum. You're home. I missed you."

" _Albus_." Ginny raced to his side and cupped his face. Gods. He was _freezing_.

"Albus! What in Merlin's name happened? Why are you so cold?"

Albus sniffled. "'Cause I climbed on the roof in my pyjamas. It was _really_ cold."

"Of course it was! There's a blizzard out there. Why in the world would you want to go on the roof?"

"I was trying to see Santa," Albus said with a whimper. "I thought, maybe if I waited up for him and wished _really_ hard, he might bring me the present I really wanted instead of the one I told you."

Ginny's heart sank like a stone. 

_"Al's already distancing himself—haven't you noticed?"_

"You… didn't tell me what you really wanted from Santa?"

Albus looked away.

"Albus, talk to me, love."

"No, 'cause I knew you'd only get hopping mad and yell at me."

Ginny frowned. "For asking for a present? What did you want, baby?"

Albus whimpered and covered his face with white, trembling hands. "I don't—"

"Hey. It's okay." Ginny tugged him into her arms. "Mummy's here. Now, what was it you asked Santa for, baby?"

"You won't yell?"

"Cross my heart, love. What was it?"

"Daddy!" Albus burst into tears. "I wanted Daddy to come home!"

Oh, gods. Ginny gasped and went rigid, heart cracking down the middle. Her child had damn near killed himself trying to get his father to come home while Ginny had been out socialising and justifying her poor choices to herself.

Tears blurred her vision and her limbs went numb. Her fault. This was her fault. She couldn't blame Harry, couldn't blame her parents, couldn't blame Albus—she had brought this on herself, and her baby was suffering for it. Because of her stupid jealousy and possessiveness, she might have lost her second son, and though she didn't care for his name, she adored Albus Severus with all her heart.

But she hadn't much shown him that lately, had she?

"I thought you wouldn't care if I asked Santa," Albus went on, unwittingly crushing his mother's soul with his innocent words. "You were busy with your friends, so I thought I should ask him now before you came home, but…." He whimpered. "S-Santa never came either. And now I can't see Daddy, and it's Christmas, and he shouldn't be alone, Mummy! It's not good to be alone on Christmas."

Tears poured thick and hard down her face. Merlin help her.

"Harry… isn't alone tonight, baby. He wanted to be with you, but—well, I was stupid. Anyway, he's with… someone who—" She forced her expression not to shift into a sneer. Much as she hatedthe idea of Harry with _that man_ , Albus needed comfort now, and telling him the truth would only damage him. "Someone who—who's taking care of him right now. So your daddy is okay, love."

Arthur and Molly gave her questioning, hopeful looks. It hurt her to see it, to know her parents had mourned over her behaviour, too.

Molly ventured, "Who…?"

Ginny hugged Albus and mouthed over her son's head, mouth twisted in a scowl, _"Snape_." Gods, she hated that arsehole.

Molly covered her mouth and closed her eyes. "Oh, thank _Merlin_." Arthur swept her into his arms with a shaky sigh. 

So they wanted Harry to be with the traitor, too? Didn't _anyone_ see…?

Albus sniffled. "You're not mad, Mum? You always get mad when we ask to see Dad, so I thought—"

Ginny forced her mind back to what mattered and crushed Albus into a hug. "Oh, Albus. I am so sorry. I was wrong to keep you away from your dad like I have. I—I've really been a selfish little idiot, but I promise you, we'll get that wish to Santa, okay? And, well, it might be a little late since it's already Christmas morning, but I'm sure he'll find a way to bring your Dad back to you."

Albus gasped and clutched her hands. "R-really? You'll really help me, Mummy?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah I will."

It was past time. Besides, Snape would tire of him by lunchtime for sure, and then Harry would be in need of comfort. So it would all work out for the best, soon.

* * *

Harry woke at a dreadful hour from a dream of Vernon looming over him, scalding cast-iron pan in one hand and bull horns sprouting from his head. _'It's for your own good, freak!'_

Ugh. Vernon as a literal minotaur. How disturbing.

Severus sat and took Harry's hand. "Shh. It is only a nightmare. You are safe."

"I'm okay, love." Harry snuggled into Severus' warm embrace anyway. "It wasn't anything remotely like reality this time."

"Good." Severus kissed Harry's hair. "Are you able to go back to sleep?"

After witnessing _that_?

"Probably not, but it's okay. It's…." He checked his watch and shrugged. "It's almost dawn anyway. Do you mind if I make breakfast while you're catching a little more beauty sleep?"

Severus snorted. "Beauty sleep indeed." He yawned and shook his head. "I usually rise close to this hour anyway. Perhaps we might make breakfast together?"

Harry smiled, pleased at the thought of having help again. "Ginny can't cook, so Jamie and Al always used to…." He swallowed against a wave of loss. His boys might never help him again. "Y-yeah, I'd love that, Sev."

Severus smoothed Harry's wild curls. "Come then." He stood and offered Harry his hand. "And I have not forgotten my promise."

Harry wrapped his fingers around Severus' palm and trusted him to help him to his feet. "I know." He gave Severus a small smile. "Maybe someday, yeah?"

"We shall all make breakfast as a family? I hope so."

Harry held that hope in his heart, cherished it, and let it drive back the darkness. Like the birth of a new sun in dark winter, it shone bright and true.

"Yeah. I do too." 

They made a full English for the hell of it, laughing together and sharing dreams and fears, and ate side-by-side. It was the best Christmas morning Harry could remember, though he wished his babies could be there to enjoy it, too.

"Al would be over the moon to know I'm dating his namesake." Snuggled in Severus' arms on the sofa, coffee in hand, Harry rested against his lover's chest and listened to the wind howl and the crackle of a warm fire. "His greatest dream is to meet you."

Severus chuckled, a pink blush on his cheeks. "Is it? Hm. I've never been anyone's hero."

"You've always been mine, even when I didn't know it."

Severus tugged him closer and kissed the nape of his neck. "As you were mine."

"I was?" Harry craned his neck to smile up at him. "I was a Gryffindor idiot with a string of dumb luck, but I'm glad you think so."

"Hm. It wasn't your prowess with a wand or wit in battle that I admired, it was the strength and purity of your heart."

Harry blinked hard. "Y-yeah?"

"You defeated the darkest wizard ever to walk these lands at seventeen years of age by the pure power of your love and sacrifice. You saved my life with nothing more than raw magic and the strength of your desire to heal me, a man you believed a traitor."

Harry leaned against him and sighed. "I didn't. I knew you weren't a traitor by then. The way you looked on the tower, the way you sacrificed yourself for me—I knew the minute you held my face and apologised that you had been a man of honour all along. And I couldn't let you die. I just… couldn't." 

He watched the foam in his coffee swirl and break apart, but he saw only those dark moments when he had dreaded losing Severus with a strength of emotion he hadn't understood. He hadn't known how deep his devotion ran that night in the shack. All he had known was Severus meant everything to him, and if he had lost him, Harry would have never been the same. 

"I think that's the moment I fell in love with you. When I looked into your eyes, when I saw you in pain and afraid and leaning into my touch, and I knew just how much you had sacrificed for me."

Severus stroked Harry's stomach and rested his head against his shoulder. "I have always loved you in one way or another. First, you were the only child of my only friend, then you were my charge and the one soul I was bound to protect above all others, then you were a boy who stood up to all adversity and defied the odds time and again, and finally a man I looked up to and the dearest person to my heart."

"And, yet, you had no choice but to send me to my death."

"Yes. Had it been permanent, I am sure I would have followed you."

Harry shuddered at the thought. A sip of his coffee and a snuggle into Severus' chest drove away the icy grip of that dreadful memory.

"I'm glad it wasn't." 

Severus murmured his agreement into Harry's shoulder and traced patterns on his lover's stomach.

"What changed?"

Severus looked up. "Hm?"

"Your heart. What changed to make you fall in love with me?"

Severus shivered. "When I learned the truth. I finally put together the signs just before your sixth year. Your bouts of unexplained rage. The visions occlumency couldn't stop."

"I didn't learn occlumency until cadet training."

"I did not leave you unprotected your fifth year, Harry. I shielded your mind with my own formidable powers when it became clear you would not take lessons from me—and I know it is more my fault than yours, or perhaps the blame lies mostly upon a flawed old man who saw the way fate wove our steps into a tapestry, but forgot the humanity of the lives in each thread."

"That's one way of putting it."

"If it makes a difference, I will agree that he was a ruthless, machiavellian man who sacrificed human lives and wellbeing to end the war, but he is gone now, and dwelling on his failings will only hurt us in the end. His portrait does not retain that cruel streak that led him to use a human man as his eyes among the dregs of society or a young boy as his living sword against evil. Minerva has that trait nipped firmly in the bud—and warded out of the painting's personality—regardless."

Harry frowned and stared at the swirling snow, a cloud of endless white framed in rings of ice flowers. 

Severus nuzzled his neck. "Let it go, pet. We are free of those chains now."

Harry relaxed into him with a sigh. "I guess you're right." Gentle kisses to his neck and temple drove away his bitterness. "So you shielded my mind, love?"

"Yes. While you believed I was invading your mind, in truth, I was building walls around it from the inside out. I protected you as well as I could, yet it never blocked your visions. The walls never fell, but they never blocked _him_ either. I knew then it was not simply a connection through a curse scar, but it took the better part of a year to discover the truth."

Severus shuddered. "And when I found it, when I learned what terrible truth lay in your scar and what incredible strength of character you possessed in remaining pure and untouched by his evil, I…."

"Everything changed."

"Yes. I did not understand how until I had reason to send Lupin a message two weeks into term and found myself staring at a doe rather than a raven."

"Merlin." Harry held Severus' hands against his stomach. "So the old man knew, then."

"That, I think, is why he wept in that memory you witnessed. For all his flaws, he was not a soulless monster, and when he knew what he had asked me to do, what he had forced me to give up, it broke him."

"He wasn't concerned given I was a student and all?"

"What could I do, Harry? To act on my feelings back then would have condemned us both to die, and without any hope of a second chance."

"So you held back hoping love would save us both."

Severus nodded. A warm drop landed on Harry's bare shoulder, then another. "It was the—the most painful, most terrifying time of my life."

Harry set his coffee down and turned to Severus. Silvery streaks glistened on his cheeks, and Harry kissed them away.

"That time is over now. All the fear and hopelessness and despair and pain, it's over, and now we're going to build a new future together, just the two of us."

Severus pressed his forehead against Harry's. "And your children."

Harry slid his hands into Severus' hair. "Yeah. Teddy, too?"

"Yes, pet. We will find a way to bring them all home again. I promise you this."

Harry tipped his head forwards and caught Severus into a slow, tender kiss. Neither man noticed the mistletoe over their heads giggle and return to its spot in a distant corner.

* * *

Lunchtime found Severus in his lab, putting the finishing touches on his first gift for Harry. A cautious knock sounded just as Severus stirred in a pinch of powdered unicorn horn shavings. 

"Enter."

Harry poked his head in and smiled. "Smells as though your potion is going well."

Severus shot him a wry look. 

Harry chuckled and came all the way into the lab. "Yes, perhaps that was a silly observation, given it's you behind the cauldron. How much longer do you have on it though? I've just finished lunch and set the table. It's all under a charm, of course, but still. Best not to leave it too long."

Severus nodded. "I am almost finished. What did you decide to make?"

"Nothing too fancy since we had a big breakfast. Just tomato soup and cheese toasties."

Severus gave him a little smile. "Would you believe that is one of my favorite simple comfort meals?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah? I like it too. It's good on snowy days."

"The storm hasn't stopped yet?"

"I'm pretty sure it's on its last leg, but it's still going for now."

"Hm. Perhaps by dinnertime, the sky will be visible. It's a rite of passage of sorts to stargaze during Yuletide. At least, it is for me."

"That sounds lovely. We can greet the dawn together tomorrow, yeah?"

"A new day and a new hope. Yes, that sounds perfect."

Harry smiled and watched Severus drop a sprinkle of red berries into the potion. "Hey, isn't that holly?"

"It is."

"Hah. Even your potions are festive."

Severus chuckled and stirred three more times clockwise, once anticlockwise just to blend everything well, then thrice more clockwise to ensure the magic of the potion ended on a healing note. It turned bright green, almost the same luminous shade as the eyes he intended it for.

"There. This is complete. A phial will go as my gift to you, and I shall sell the rest to go towards our future plans." Severus gave him a searching look. "Perhaps I should put it in a vault for both of us. Ah, no, no. It is too soon for that. I am sure you would prefer to keep your vaults separate until we are better established."

Harry flushed and looked away.

"Harry?" Severus finished decanting a phial for Harry and set it beside him. "What is it? I will never pressure you. If you are not ready for a step that I am, simply talk to me about it."

Harry squirmed. "It—it's not that. It's just, Ginny took everything, Sev. I don't have anything but my weekly paycheck, and it's not as grand as one might think. Aurors don't make as much as we probably should."

A thread of hot, vibrating fury coiled in Severus' stomach. "She took all your family fortune? The Potter vaults, too?"

Harry stared at his knees. "There were a lot of dark sympathizers on the jury when she took me to court the last time. They were only all too happy to take everything from me in one fell swoop. They didn't care if it went to blood traitors and the Potter kids as long as the 'saviour' couldn't get his hands on his fortune."

"Oh, Harry." Severus kissed his temple. "I swear we will make it right again, somehow."

Harry gave him a wan smile. "You don't mind, do you? That all I can offer you is this?"

"Mind? No, pet. Just having you in my home and my arms is the greatest gift of my life." Severus kissed him lightly. "Don't fret. If we cannot restore your rightful fortune, then we will build our own."

A slow smile washed the pain from Harry's eyes. "You know, I'm really not happy as an auror. Maybe it's time for a career change. I could help you grow things for your potions, maybe. I always liked herbology, and Nev is a genius with plants. I'm sure he'd help if I asked. Or I could go full time at the orphanage. Draco keeps hinting that I should, but… well, I would make even less than I do now."

Severus rubbed Harry's cheek. "Either way, I will help you if that is what you wish to do. I have wanted to go into research and invention for many years. If you do decide to help, perhaps with your backing and Longbottom's, we could make it happen. Assuming he is willing to work with me, of course."

"He knows what you did for us, love. I think he wants to hear an apology for all the harsh treatment, but that's all."

"And as he is owed one—and my thanks for killing that blasted snake—that is a sacrifice I am more than willing to make."

Harry squeezed Severus' hand. "Then I'll start saving up for a greenhouse and ask Nev what he thinks of working with us next time we meet. Luna, too. She's a creature caretaker and a magizoologist, and she always has ingredients to spare. Even if it's only Nev and Lu working with you and I end up at the orphanage, you should be able to research with their help."

Severus kissed Harry's fingers. "We have a deal. For now, are you ready for your first gift?"

Harry beamed. "Absolutely."

Severus held out his hand. "Give me those spectacles then and drink that."

Harry passed the infamous Potter glasses into Severus' hand and took the potion in one swig. 

"Gah, that's gross." He shuddered. "What does it—ah!" He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. "Ow! Why do my eyes hurt?"

"It will pass, pet. Give it a moment." Severus rubbed his lover's back and watched, waiting for the watering to stop. There. Harry blinked tears away and opened his eyes. "What? I…." He gasped and stared around him, expression open and raw with pure wonder. "Oh my god, I can _see_. You—you fixed my vision!"

Severus smirked, proud of his first true success outside of tests. "It appears so."

"Hah! Very cute." Harry beamed up at him, tears welling for another reason this time. "Oh, Merlin, Sev, this is amazing. Thank you!" He frowned. "But I didn't think there _was_ a potion to fix people's sight. I've asked. A lot."

Severus flushed. "I just received the patent last week."

"Holy shit, you _invented this_?" Harry leapt to his feet and grabbed Severus into his arms. "Sev! Do you have any idea how bloody amazing that is? Oh my god, I'm so damned proud of you I could burst."

Severus stilled. Proud. Oh, Merlin. He pressed his head into Harry's neck and struggled against a sudden welling in his eyes. No one had ever been proud of his accomplishments. He had tried harder and harder to impress someone, _anyone_ , until he had given up and landed himself in hell by it. To hear those words now, from the man he loved above all others, gods. He could barely breathe for the bright, tingling wonder coursing through him.

Harry lifted his chin and kissed his tears away. "You're bloody amazing and I am so proud of you. Well-fucking-done, Sev."

Severus chuckled a bit and hugged him with all his strength. "Thank you."

Harry nuzzled his cheek. "We just keep giving each other gifts when it's supposed to be the other's turn, huh?" 

"I do not mind."

Harry smiled softly. "Yeah. Neither do I."

* * *

After lunch, Harry had just settled in with one of Severus' herbology texts when the house went silent. He looked up, confused by the stillness. Hadn't it been quiet a moment before? Severus was still in his lab, working on another batch of 'Sunrise Brew' for St. Mungo's, so that didn't explain the sudden lull.

"What in the…?" He looked to the window and gasped. The endless swirl of white had settled and revealed a pristine landscape glowing in the midday sun.

"Oi, Sev! The storm stopped!"

Severus called back something unintelligible and appeared dressed in his lab gear a moment later. "Harry? Are you well?"

"Yeah, sorry, love. I was just telling you the blizzard stopped."

Severus glanced to the window. "Hm. Beautiful, isn't it?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah. Wanna go have a snowball fight?"

Severus cocked his head. "A former triple agent and master of defence against the sergeant of the aurors and the conqueror of dark lords?" He smirked. "I accept."

"Your potion?"

"I had just finished decanting it when you called."

"Perfect. Then let's put our coats on and go wild."

"An excellent plan, Mister Potter, just as soon as I wash up." Severus disappeared into the bathroom and came out with his face scrubbed pink and his hair tied back. "There. Now we may see which of us has the right to dominate during tonight's 'gift'."

Harry grinned. "Ooh. Way to make it interesting. Let's go."

* * *

Picking a snowball fight with a Slytherin and former spy, Harry soon learned, was like inviting a hellhound into one's home. Severus was everywhere and nowhere at once, and Harry could hardly get a hit in compared to the landslide of snow Severus had dumped onto his head. And into his denims. And down his collar.

Another icy chunk dropped under his scarf and wriggled down his bare neck, and Harry squealed at the cold. 

"I swear to god, when I catch you, I'm going to teach you the _other uses_ of snow in secret places!"

Severus appeared out of a snowdrift ahead. "Is that so? Tempting, Mister Potter, but a Slytherin never concedes de—"

Harry used one of George's prank spells to slide snow—just a little—into the front of Severus' underwear. Not exactly an approved use, but it got the job done. 

Severus gasped and went rigid, and an expression of half-pain, half-ecstasy crossed his face. "That—that is playing dirty, my little Gryffindor minx."

Harry used another spell to turn the melting snow warm, and Severus' eyes fluttered closed. 

"Ah, gods." 

Harry pushed him down into the snow and pressed his awakening interest into the heat flooding Severus' groin. Severus arched up and gasped.

"H-Harry, one might mistake you for a Slytherin with such—nngh—tactics."

"Yeah?" Harry thrust against Severus' groin and made him whimper. "I almost was."

"God." Severus dragged Harry into a fiery kiss, and the play of icy gloves against Harry's warm neck sent chills down his spine. He wrapped Severus in another spell, a sheath of his own design he had often used to help him get off when Ginny wasn't doing it for him. The delicious squeezing heat had Severus moaning and rocking up helplessly.

"Oh, oh, god, what _is_ that?"

Harry smirked and thrust against him in a slow, steady rhythm. "One of _my_ inventions. How does it feel?"

"Mhn. Go—ohh—good."

"Specifics, love. I want to hear your voice as I make you come."

Severus panted and clung to Harry's chest. "H-hot, tight, wet. Oh, Merlin. I…."

"Mm. Shall I cool you down a little?"

Severus' whimper set his blood surging. 

Harry lifted a pile of snow and shaped it into the vague likeness of a hard cock. Severus watched, eyes dazed and face flushed from both cold and sex. 

"Like this? Let's see how it feels against you." He used magic to hold its shape and slide it through the barrier of Severus' clothing. His own, too. That icy cock thrusting between their bollocks, in counterpoint to the heat of Severus' body and his sheath spell made them both whimper and gasp. 

"Ah, please," Severus panted. "Want…."

"What, love? Ask and it's yours."

Severus' face flushed darker. "Want to feel it… l-lower."

Harry groaned. "Oh god. You mean…." He leaned up and brushed his finger over Severus' clothed opening, and Severus gasped and arched into his hand.

"Y-yes. Want…."

"Oh, love. I don't think you're ready for _that_ inside you. I don't even know if it's safe, but maybe just…." He took the snowcock in hand, used his permeability spell, and teased Severus' cleft with the cold tip. Severus yelped and rocked up, squirming desperately to avoid it and yet, rocking down against him at once. 

Harry wanted to see it, wanted to see his skin flush and shiver under his touch.

With a pant, he swept Severus into his arms, bridal style, snowcock tucked into his pocket.

"Anti-apparition wards?" 

Severus gasped out, "Never for you."

"Good." Harry apparated them to Severus' bedroom and laid his partner on the sheets. A spell had him naked and writhing under his sight, the sheath spell slicking his fierce erection."

"Turn over. On your knees."

Severus obeyed with a whimper and exposed his arse to his appreciative lover. A slight line of pink tinged the skin leading from his opening and across the base of one cheek, but Harry wanted to see that skin turn red and quiver under his touch.

"Sev, if it hurts or you need to stop, say… um… 'summer,' okay?"

"Yes. Hurry."

Harry groaned. "Let's slow you down a bit." He wrapped his cold hand around Severus' cock and stroked, loving the gasps and writhes his lover couldn't help. The pink opening under his face clenched in time, and Harry so wanted to tease it open with his tongue. Hm. Perhaps he would. The play of hot and cold would drive Severus mad.

"Please," Severus gasped out, and Harry obliged. He started by rubbing the snow down the ridge of Severus' cock, gaining a shudder and a whine from his lover. A few gentle strokes against his bollocks had Severus gasping and squirming. Then, Harry stroked the tip across his quivering rim, and Severus cried out and jerked away, then eased back into it with a whimper. Harry watched the skin flush pink and draw up tight, watched his opening flinch and quiver, icy water dripping from its curved surface. 

"Ah! Oh, god, Harry, please."

"You want me to ease it, love?" He blew a burst of hot breath against Severus' opening and watched it flutter and pulse. 

"Nnghn. Harry…."

Another hot breath made Severus arch and moan. 

"Oh, gods. Don't—don't stop."

"I don't intend to until you come screaming my name." 

Severus whimpered and rocked into another hot breath. To keep him from coming too soon, Harry rubbed more of the snowcock against his bollocks. Severus whined and squirmed, and moaned at the feel of a cool fingertip against his opening.

"Please, please."

Harry stroked his rim and dipped just inside, and Severus arched back with a desperate cry. Harry moved the icedick back into place over his clenching opening instead, and Severus shuddered and groaned, hips rocking helplessly.

"Is it too cold, love? Do you need to warm up."

"Gods, please."

Harry removed the snow and set his sheath spell to a slow, torturous pace that had Severus gasping and rocking into the air, arse desperate for something to rub against. Harry watched him writhe as he removed his coat and upper garments and kicked off his shoes. 

"Gods, you're gorgeous like this." Harry knelt behind him again and gave him another pulse of hot breath. "Mm. Watching you clench from just breathing on you is amazing. Tempting. I wonder how much more you would like a kiss."

"Ah, ah, come here then."

"Oh, I didn't mean there." Harry swiped his tongue over Severus' chilled entrance, and Severus' breath stopped. He froze, as if he couldn't believe what Harry had done, or perhaps sensation had just overloaded his mind. Another swipe and swirl around that rosy ring made Severus throw his head back and give a strained squeal that set Harry ablaze. 

Oh yes. This was how Severus would come today. Tortured on his tongue and a cock made of snow. 

Harry opened his zip and took himself in hand, groaning at the feel of his cold palm against his hot flesh. Severus begged for more, and Harry swirled his tongue over his fluttering rim in time with his hand.

" _Aaiiee_! _Please_!"

Perfect. With a soft moan, Harry licked and sucked and prodded Severus' pulsing opening and watched his lover fall to pieces. Severus squealed and howled and clutched at the sheets, thighs quivering and arse pressed up in the air. God, he was utterly gone to sensation, and Harry loved every second. He dipped inside him, just a bit, and curled his tongue against the rim, and Severus screamed into the pillow.

Ooh. Time to slow him down a little. Harry switched hands to feel that coldness against himself again and gasped. "Oh god. This is amazing." With a whimper, he took up the remaining snowcock and stroked the wet snow over Severus' rim. Severus yelped and thrashed into the touch.

"Please, please, please, can't take much more."

Harry moaned and stroked him with the cock until his skin turned pink, then replaced the snowcock with his own. Merlin, he wanted to slide inside that silk heat. No, no. Severus wasn't ready. With a massive effort, Harry kept his motions light and teasing, just pressing in until he felt that cool ring start to give and backing off again. Fuck, it was torture to tease him like this, but Harry was determined to wait until Severus was sure.

"Harry, deeper. Please." Severus moaned and rocked his cold body against Harry's shaft, whimpering and begging. 

"Hah. Oh. N-not yet." He conjured an edible form of lubricant onto his cock though, and couldn't resist testing Severus' opening a little more, just enough to feel a hint of that slick heat against his head.

"Please, please," Severus gasped and pressed back, taking Harry deeper than he had expected. Fiery silk squeezed and throbbed around his head, and Severus cried out and rocked back, and it was all Harry could do to ease out and pant against his back. 

"Not yet, love. You still have more new things to experience first, and I'm trying to wait until you're sure."

Severus groaned and pushed back, trying to get him inside again, but Harry moved with him to avoid it. The man whined in frustrated desire. 

"Harry, don't tease me."

"You want to come, love? With me inside you?"

Severus whined and arched back in reply.

"Mm." Harry murmured, "I want you to feel something new." And he spread Severus' cheeks, prodded his opening with his tongue, and worked it slowly inside. The technique took some trial and error, but soon, he had his tongue writhing in his lover and taking him to pieces on every stroke. 

Panting and quaking, Severus cried, "H-Harry, gods, _enough_! I want you in me."

Harry grabbed Severus' cock with the hand he had been holding snow with and stroked him at a slow, tortuous pace. "Are you sure, love?"

" _Yes_. Take me already."

Harry moaned into his back. "Y-yeah. Just let me…." A gentle spell cleaned, opened, and lubricated Severus' passage, and Severus gasped and jerked at the sensation. Harry knew from experience that spell pressed deep.

"Okay, love?"

"Nnghn. In me. Fuck, in me."

"Not like this. I want to see your face, love."

Severus groaned and turned onto his back. Harry slid a pillow under his hips and draped those long, slim legs over his shoulders. 

"All right, love. Breathe, don't tense, and tell me if you need me to stop, okay?"

Severus nodded and reached for Harry's hands. "Please."

"Yeah. Nice and easy." 

Harry slicked himself and eased his tip inside. Even with the spells, Severus was tight. 

"Ah, oh, gods, I'm not going to last."

Severus whimpered and rocked on him a little, brow furrowed and lips parted. His breath came hard and fast and his eyelids fluttered half shut.

"I know it feels a little weird. Give it a minute and you'll feel good." Harry nuzzled Severus' legs and slid in deeper, until he felt the man's body push back against him. "Breathe through it, love, and bear down."

Severus obeyed, expression tight with either discomfort or pleasure, and Harry kissed his knees until his body eased. 

" _Now_ I can take you." Slowly, he pressed inside until he had nothing left to give. "Oh. Oh, you feel so good, love."

Severus whimpered and clutched the sheets. "You—it is uncomfortable."

Harry took his lover's flagging erection in hand and stroked the velvet-over-steel flesh. Severus moaned and rocked into his hand, and Harry moved inside him, just enough to ease his ache.

Severus' head dropped back. "Ahh. Move."

"Yeah. I've got you."

Harry kissed his knees and made love to him with exquisite care. He moved in slow, gentle strokes and never took his eyes off Severus' face. 

"Ah, Harry…."

"It feels good, love?"

"Nnghn. Yes. I am not sure I will come though."

Harry smirked and canted his hips just so. The next stroke brought a soft cry from Severus. 

"Oh." His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Another gentle stroke made his eyelids squeeze shut. " _Ohh_."

"Yes, that's the ticket." Harry pressed forwards a little and made sure every stroke hit that spot. Severus arched and clawed the bed, mouth open in stunned ecstasy and face scrunched with the near-painful pleasure. He whimpered and rocked with Harry's strokes, body taut and arched with sensation.

"Please, please."

"Yeah, let me help you." Harry combined his sheath spell with his still-cool hand and stroked Severus' rigid cock. 

"Aah!" Severus thrashed about, crying Harry's name. "Gods, I'm—I…."

"Yeah," Harry gasped out. "Yeah, it's okay."

With a sharp cry, Severus arched off the bed and released his pleasure in rapid spurts. "H-Harry!"

Heat squeezed him in a tight grip, and Harry followed his lover into ecstasy with a whimper and a gasp. 

"Oh, gods, Sev." He withdrew and flopped atop his partner's sweaty, heaving body, utterly exhausted. 

"Bloody hell, that was incredible."

Severus groaned and grabbed him into his arms. "Sleep. I need a nap after that."

Harry chuckled breathlessly and snuggled into his lover's embrace. "Yeah, fine with me." He cleaned them with a spell and let sleep drag him into oblivion.

* * *

When Harry woke, it was nearly time for dinner, and he was still half naked. He looked down at his come-covered denims and flushed. "Um, Sev, I think I need to go to my flat for a bit. Need some new clothes."

Severus sat up with a groan. "Mm. Perhaps we will have dinner there, if you like?"

Harry dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, um, I don't have much in the house. Haven't had the energy to cook nor the money to buy anything extravagant, so…."

Severus kissed him lightly. "Then we will gather your things and return here to cook Christmas dinner instead."

Harry looked up, curious. "But you don't celebrate Christmas."

"It means something to you, so we shall celebrate it together, if you don't mind a bit of pagan flair."

"I'm not religious, love. Never saw much evidence of a god of any sort. Your faith is good enough for me."

Severus nuzzled Harry's cheek. "It is rather new for me, if I am honest. I was as you are now for most of my life, but when I began to allow myself joy and freedom to act as I wished to and not how the world expected me to, nor how my trauma dictated, I learned to embrace the peace and freedom having some small faith in the divine brings."

Harry smiled and squeezed Severus' hand. "Yeah? Well, maybe we'll explore that together. Merlin knows I could use some peace in my life."

"I will teach you what I know if you truly want to share in it with me."

"Yeah. Teach me, love. I don't know if I can really let go enough to put my life in…." Harry shuddered. "In the hands of higher beings, but I want to know what interests you either way."

Severus searched his face. "Your fears concern me, but perhaps, in time, you will learn to trust again. For now, I am happy to teach you and give myself to you as you will."

Harry blinked hard. How had Severus seen to the core of him so easily? He had never been able to admit his fear of letting go, of submitting his will to another, nor his desire for the same thing. He wanted it desperately, but after everything he had lived through, the idea of trusting his body and safety to someone else left him cold and shaking inside. 

Harry stood and shoved his fears aside. If they intended to make any sort of meal, they would have to hurry. They didn't have time to discuss it now.

"Come on, love. I'm a mess, and I haven't anything to change into."

Severus moved to his wardrobe and tugged on his boxers. "I feel I need a shower before long. Would you mind if we take one at your flat?"

"Together?"

Severus shivered and gave him a heated look. "After all the pleasure you have brought me the past two days, I will certainly not object."

Harry brought him into a slow, deep kiss. "Might be eating dinner late."

"I do not mind."

"Me neither." Harry cast a cleaning charm on his trousers and hurriedly pulled on his clothing. 

"Harry?" Severus slid a gloved hand into his once they were dressed. "How do you know how to draw so much pleasure from a man? Have you had lovers since your wife?"

Harry shrugged. "Nev taught me a few things, just trying to break me out of my depression, but it was never love, not like that. Most of what I know I learned from reading."

"Ah." Severus frowned. "Has he taken you before?"

Harry choked and looked away.

"Beloved, I am not going to hurt you or Neville for it. It is only curiosity. I wonder if you know how it feels, or if making love with me will be a new experience for you as well."

Harry squirmed. "He—he tried. I didn't react well."

"He pressured you?"

"No! No, I wanted to try, but…." Harry swallowed hard. "I couldn't. I just… couldn't."

Severus nuzzled Harry's temple. "Shh. It is all right." He held Harry in a gentle embrace and stroked his hair, his touch calming and gentle. "We will leave this subject for a later date, yes? I do not want you distressed."

Harry nodded, though he'd rather not talk about it at all. The subject came too close to those secret fears, secret desires he couldn't bear to voice.

Severus held Harry's face. "Are you well?"

Harry leaned into his hands. "Yeah. I'm okay now." It wasn't strictly true, but he could cope, at least.

Severus kissed Harry's forehead. "I have waited far too long for the chance to love you to throw it away. I have no desire to hurt you. You are safe here, pet. Always."

Harry gave a shuddering sigh and melted into Severus' touch. "T-thanks, love. I didn't know how much I needed to hear that."

"Hm. You've been hurt too much, as have I. This is too precious, too rare—you are too precious to me. I cannot hurt you."

Harry nudged his head under Severus' chin and let his lover protect him for that tender moment. For all that it seemed insignificant, to Harry, even this much was a difficult step towards trust. He had always been the protector, always been the one to sacrifice for others and guard them.

With everyone but this man holding him now.

Severus had always protected and sacrificed for Harry. Why should he change now that they were in love and Riddle was no longer around to screw with their lives?

Maybe—just maybe—Harry could trust this enough to let go. To surrender. 

For now, however, this was enough.

Severus tucked Harry into his arms and just held him, one hand cradling his head and the other making slow strokes down Harry's back. "Mm. This is wonderful."

"Holding me? You like it?"

"Merlin, yes."

Harry snuggled closer and let Severus' warmth seep into the hollow places of his soul. "I love you, Sev. I really do."

Severus tipped Harry's chin up and kissed him lightly. "I love you too, my Harry. Are you feeling stronger?"

Harry smiled and rubbed their noses together. "Much. Let's go get some clothes and have a shower now."

"Yes. Do you need me to gather anything for you while you are packing?"

"Hm. No, I think I'm good."

"Then I will help you pack."

"Thanks, love. Let's go. I'm going to take us to the safe apparition point on Dover Street. It's a few blocks away, but after Ginny screwed me over, I put up heavy wards, and that's the closest public apparition point."

"I do not mind. At least now that we will not be walking to your flat in a blizzard."

Harry shuddered. "That would have been unpleasant." He squeezed Severus' gloved hand. "Ready?"

"Yes."

Harry held on tight and disapparated with his lover. They landed in a warded square, surrounded with quaint shops all decked out in fairy lights. The trees in the area bore garlands of tinsel and holly, and the old-fashioned iron streetlights had red ribbons tied under each lamp. It was a pretty area, though Harry had never paid it much attention before. He had been too busy struggling to survive.

"Hm." Severus looked about with a slight smile. "I should like to visit those shops when they are open. They look as though one might find interesting trinkets inside."

Harry chuckled and laced their fingers together. "Possibly. I've never looked." He searched Severus' eyes. "You've changed so much, love. I hardly recognize you, but I'm really glad you're happy." He started towards his flat, hand-in-hand with his partner. "It hurt to see you suffer so much after the battle."

Severus shivered. "Gods. That was truly a miserable time. Had you not sat with me and taken care of me so well, I am positive I would not have survived. The world still hated me in those days."

"I had to rip the supposed healers a new one and tell them how much you'd sacrificed for us all before they cleaned up their acts." Harry smirked. "And threaten to go 'slayer of Voldemort mode' on them. Not that I really would have done, but it worked."

Severus flinched and reflexively jerked his left arm a bit.

"Does it still bother you, love? The name? I didn't realize you were scared of it. I'm sorry."

"It isn't fear, Harry. Well, not the kind of fear you are thinking of, at least. That is an ingrained reaction I have little control over. Whenever that name was spoken in the presence of a Death Eater—as only the most overt followers of the Light would ever dare speak it so boldly—we all experienced a jolt of terrible pain through the mark."

Harry cringed. "And I slung it around all the time. I'm sorry. I didn't know it hurt you or I wouldn't have said it. Even when we were enemies, I didn't want to hurt you."

Severus sighed and wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders. "How your ex-wife could have possibly gotten it into her head that you are dangerous is beyond me."

"I mean, I _am_ dangerous to criminals."

"Perhaps, but you are positively tender to those you love."

Harry leaned into Severus' side. "Love has been so rare in my life. I don't take it for granted."

"I understand, pet."

"You really do. More than anyone, I think."

Severus kissed Harry's hair and blinked up at the sky. "Oh. It is snowing again."

Harry followed his gaze. Snowflakes fluttered down and dusted their hair and Severus' tam—a gentle snow, not like the howler of the night before. With twilight settling on the town and the streets so quiet and all decked out for the holidays, it made for a beautiful sight. 

Harry watched snow gather on Severus' hair and eyelashes with a soft smile. "You look so happy." 

Severus' smile set his entire face glowing. "I do enjoy snow." He smirked. "More so now that you have taught me more _creative_ uses for it."

Harry grinned. "Anytime, love. Just be careful with it."

"I am familiar with the dangers of frostbite, my love." Severus stuck out his tongue.

"What are you… oh." Harry giggled at the sight of his older partner catching snowflakes on his tongue like a child. "You look adorable like that."

Severus aimed his tongue at Harry. "Come. Try it. Let yourself be free to do the things we never could when we were young. It's surprisingly healing."

Harry tentatively stuck out his tongue and jumped a bit at a tiny prick of icy cold, fast swept away by his body heat. Ridiculous as it was, he had fun catching snowflakes and trying to outdo Severus. Severus laughed like Harry had never heard before, not from him, and Harry found it impossible not to join in. He was sure anyone who saw them would think they had lost the plot, but just for this moment, it was freeing to let himself be silly, to embrace a moment of play, just to be human and happy and to hell with what anyone else thought.

An older woman with her hair in a scarf chuckled as she walked by. "My, how good it is to see the youth haven't lost their heart for simple joys." She smiled at them. "Happy Christmas! Though it seems you two are quite happy without my help."

Harry paused and looked at his partner, eyes stinging a little with the realisation that she was _right_. In spite of everything, he was truly happy in this moment, with his lover to remind him of the joy war had stolen from them, to help him let go and learn to be free again. 

"Thank you," Severus said with a smile. "Happy Christmas to you as well, and Yuletide."

Harry nodded and forced his voice steady. "Yeah, happy holidays, ma'am."

She waved and went on her way, unaware of the precious gift she had given Harry. 

"I'm happy, Sev. I'm honestly happy." He held Severus' gaze and paid the tears cooling on his cheeks no heed. "I-I thought I would never be happy again."

Severus swept him into his arms. "You are so beautiful right now, with joy and hope transforming your face and snow in your hair. I will do my best to see that you are always able to smile, my love, even in the hard times."

Harry buried his head in Severus' chest. "Thank you."

Severus kissed Harry's hair. "Anytime, my Harry."

Harry wrapped his arms around Severus' waist and held him with all his strength. 


	4. Part IV

#  **I'll Be Home for Yuletide**

* * *

## PART IV

The hot water beat down Harry's back as he pinned Severus to the wall and kissed every surface of his body. Severus threw his head back and cried out at the first swipe of Harry's tongue against his tip, and gave a garbled moan when Harry's mouth surrounded his cock. 

"Ghn. Harry, oh, yes, like that." Severus stroked Harry's hair and rocked into his mouth with slow, shallow thrusts. He gasped and quivered with every new touch, every suck, every stroke of Harry's tongue, and Harry loved every second.

"Wait." Severus panted harshly. "I want to taste you this time, pet."

Harry whimpered and traded him places. Severus licked his taste from Harry's mouth and pressed a trail of fiery, burning kisses down his front. The first touch of that sinful mouth around his cock set Harry moaning. He struggled not to move, to let his inexperienced lover explore as he wished, but damn it was difficult not to thrust into Severus' pink lips and let himself fall apart.

Then, slick fingers probed between his cheeks, and Harry froze. 

"S-Sev…."

"I only intended to touch you inside," Severus murmured, voice a little rough. "Do you need me to stop?"

Harry bit his lip. "Gently. It scares me."

Severus caressed Harry's thighs. "You are not required to do this if it troubles you. I don't mind letting you have me at all."

Harry let slip a shaky breath and remembered the snowflakes. "I want to try. Just, be easy, okay?"

Severus kissed Harry's hip. "I promise." 

He sucked Harry's cock back into the delicious heat of his mouth, and Harry let his head fall against the shower wall. Severus didn't touch him in back again until Harry was gasping and close to the edge. The feel of gentle fingers seeking his opening cooled his ardour down, but Harry didn't resist. He spread his legs and gasped as Severus found his target. Oh. That gentle caress around his rim felt good, but….

"S-Sev, can I have your other hand?"

Severus removed his hand from the base of Harry's cock and laced his fingers with his lover's. Harry held his cock himself so Severus wouldn't choke on him, and let his lover's care comfort him.

Severus pulled back and murmured, "You are safe, pet. Does it feel good?"

Harry panted softly. "Y-yeah. Just—you can try… more now."

Severus nodded and slowly slid his fingertip inside. Harry whimpered at the strange pleasure and couldn't help rocking a little. 

"I love you, pet."

Harry caressed Severus' hair and cut off his reply at deeper pressure inside. "Ohh." Gods, it felt odd, but good. He rocked a little and panted as Severus' long finger slid in and out, brushing that spot deep inside him. 

"Sev, yeah. Like that."

Severus kissed his hip and took him back into his mouth, and Harry surrendered to pleasure. The heat of his lover's tongue branded his flesh, and long, slim fingers reached places inside him no one had ever touched. He whimpered at a firm stroke of his prostate and let himself go. One finger became two, and he lost control. Surrendered to his lover.

"Will you turn for me, pet?"

Harry groaned as Severus' fingers slid out, and he obeyed without complaint, without resistance. This was his Severus bringing him to the brink of madness, and Severus loved him. It would be okay.

Harry whined at a swipe of wet heat against him, and threw his head back at a second. Severus spread him open with his fingers and licked between them, in and out, in and out, and Harry couldn't do anything but squirm and try to get him deeper. He was melting, turning liquid, burning up under that long, prodding tongue. He registered on some level that he was crying out, but he had no control any longer. Severus was wrecking him, taking him to pieces and rebuilding him. 

Harry whimpered as both fingers and tongue withdrew, leaving him with an empty sort of ache he had never felt before. Oh god, he wanted to be filled, to feel Severus deep inside him.

But he couldn't face it, not yet.

Harry turned around and grabbed Severus into his arms. Not all of the water on his face had come from the shower. 

Severus brushed his tears away and cupped his face. "Love, did I push you too far?"

"No. No, it was just more intense than I expected." Harry panted on Severus' shoulder. "I-I don't think I'm ready to—"

"I know. It is why I stopped. Would you take me instead?"

"God, yes."

Harry pressed Severus against the wall and spread his lover's cheeks. "Gonna make you scream for me first."

Severus whimpered and let out a sharp cry at the first stroke of Harry's tongue. Harry was relentless, never pausing to let Severus catch his breath, and it didn't take long to have the man squealing and rocking back into his tongue. 

"Please, please, please, need you in me."

Harry soothed Severus with a gentle stroke down his spine. "Okay, love. Let me just check." 

He lubricated his fingers and slid two inside one at a time, and Severus took both with little resistance. Harry stroked the man's prostate a few times, drawing a series of strangled yelps from his lover. He stood and took himself in hand. Ooh. Almost too close to the edge. After another spell to slick his cock, he rubbed his head against that throbbing opening.

"Ready, baby?"

"Gods, Harry. Hurry up or I will put you in detention."

Harry chuckled. "Ooh. Sounds fun." He pressed in slowly and groaned at the silken heat. If they made love ten times a day, he would never tire of this. "God, you feel so good."

He set a slow pace at first, but Severus' urgent cries and his own mounting need drove him on until he was pounding Severus' arse hard enough to make it jiggle, and Severus was rocking back into him, lost to pleasure. 

"H-Harry, can't…."

Harry wrapped his sheath spell around Severus' cock, fondled his bollocks, and rolled his nipple. "Come, love. Come and scream my name."

Severus whimpered and thrashed about. " _Harry_!"

Firm heat clenched around Harry's cock and wetness surged into his palm, and Harry followed his lover into bliss.

" _Severus_ …."

They slumped down the shower wall together, uncaring of the water.

"Merlin," Severus panted. "I had… no idea it was so…."

"Intense?"

"Yes, precisely." He rested his head on Harry's shoulder and flinched a little.

"You okay, love?"

"Yes, only in need of rest."

Harry nuzzled his hair. "Come on then. Let's wash up, and we'll go back to yours so you can relax. I'll handle dinner tonight, yeah?"

Severus gave him a tired smile. "Yes, that sounds lovely." 

Harry helped him up and poured some shampoo onto his hand. "Turn around, love. I'll pamper you a bit since I've worn you out so thoroughly."

Severus obeyed and relaxed into Harry's care with a contented expression Harry hoped to see every day for the rest of his life, or at least most of them.

* * *

Harry had finished his shower before Severus was ready to get out, so he let the man soak a bit and went to pack. Severus joined him a few minutes later, and Harry winced at the man's limp.

"Sev! Love, did I hurt you?"

Severus shook his head. "You did nothing I did not beg for. I think it is simply that I am not accustomed to such… frequent use of that area."

Harry flinched and cupped Severus' face. "I'm so sorry, love. We'll take it easy for a while then. Give you time to recover. You—you aren't bleeding, right?"

Severus nuzzled Harry's hair. "I am only a little sore, beloved. It is nothing a day or two of rest and a healing potion will not cure."

Harry nodded, though his eyes stung. "I feel terrible. I should have been gentler."

"I wanted it exactly like you gave it to me, Harry. You have done nothing to feel so guilty over." But Severus winced a little as he sat on the bed, and Harry regretted pushing him so hard so soon.

"I'm still sorry, love."

"Peace. Is there anything I can assist with?"

"Just relax, okay? I'm just tossing some clothes in a bag, and we'll go back to yours and let you rest. Maybe we'll just do something easy tonight and have Christmas dinner a day late."

"If you wish. I—"

A ringing sound echoed through the flat, and Harry stared, bemused, at the living room. "What…?"

"That, I believe, is your doorbell, pet." Severus stood, expression tense and on edge. "And given what we have seen as of late, I am not sure what to expect to find on the other side."

Harry frowned. "The doorbell? It—it might be Nev or Luna. Or maybe George, though I thought he'd be home with Angelina and the kids. I thought the same of Luna though. Hm. Maybe—"

A youthful voice called, "Dad? Are you here?"

And Harry dropped to his knees, tears welling and heart pounding in his ears. "A-Al?"

"Bloody hell," Severus breathed, eyes wide. "Your son?"

"Yes."

"Merlin."

Severus hauled a half-dazed Harry to his feet and guided him to the living room. Harry recovered his wits halfway past the sofa and dashed to the door, a sob catching in his throat. He nearly yanked it off the hinges in his hurry to get it open, but the sight that met his eyes stopped him dead. 

Both of his sons stood on either side of the stoop, cheeks pink and eyes too wet. Lily babbled behind them, her hand clasped tightly in a shamefaced Ginny's. Teddy stood a little behind James, pink-cheeked and hair gone blue—a sign he was upset and afraid. Hermione, Ron, and their two kids, Rose and Hugo, stood behind them, and Ron carried a giant basket against his chest. By the scent emanating from its closed lid, Harry guessed it contained food.

"I—what?" Harry swallowed a whimper and took a step back. "What is this?"

"Daddy!" Lily squealed and tried to run forwards, but Ginny held her back. 

"Wait, sweetie."

Lily's lip poked out. "I've waited _forever_!"

"I…." Harry could hardly breathe for pain. The feel of a steadying hand on his shoulder anchored him. He couldn't see Severus—the man had made himself invisible so as not to interfere with the reunion—but the feel of his touch soothed Harry's wild emotions, a little. 

"I don't understand. Why are you here?"

"Don't you want us anymore, Dad?" Al's small voice, wobbly and scared, ripped Harry's heart to pieces. 

"Oh, love. Of course I do, but I thought—why?"

Lily broke free from her mother then and cut off all further conversation. "Daddy!" She rocketed past her uncertain brothers and ran straight into Harry's legs. He rocked back from the impact and, unable to resist the opportunity to hold his baby again, dropped to his knees and caught her into a desperate hug.

"Oh, god, Lily. I missed you so much. All of you. I—" His voice broke off into a shattered sob, and he buried tears and kisses in his daughter's hair. 

Hugo glared up at Ginny. "I _told_ you Uncle Harry wasn't dangerous. I told you that you were being stupid."

Ginny flinched.

"Hugo," Ron chided. "Don't speak to your aunt that way." He shot her a sharp look. "Even if it's the truth."

Harry's breath caught. "Ron? What…?"

"We're home, Dad," Jamie said with a whimper and crashed into his side.

"Dad! Me too!"

Al joined the dogpile, and then Teddy, Rose, and Hugo, and it was all tears and kisses and hugs so tight, his breath came short. 

"Oh, I can't believe you're all really here." 

"Happy Christmas, Dad," said Jamie.

"The happiest." Harry staggered to his feet and held Jamie's face, who was closest. "Look at you. You look more like your old man every day." And it hurt, so much, that he hadn't been able to watch it happen. That these faces weren't the ones he remembered.

"So do I, unfortunately," Hugo complained.

"Oi!" 

Harry couldn't help but laugh despite his grief. "That's not such a grim fate, kiddo." He wiped his eyes and smiled at his five-year-old daughter. "You're getting so big, Lily! You're almost as tall as Rose now." 

Lily showed him a mouth missing both her top front teeth. "I lost two teeth last week."

Harry swallowed another wave of hurt for another lost milestone he would never get back. "I-I see, baby. Did the tooth fairy come?"

"She brought me a whole tenner, Daddy! 'Cause I losted them both at once."

"Wow! The tooth fairy is generous this year, yeah?"

"More than she was for me," Teddy grumbled.

Harry snorted through tears and ruffled his godson's hair, a sunny yellow now that the tension of the first moment had passed. "Well, you lost yours one at a time like a sensible fellow. Two at once is a special occasion."

Teddy grinned. "I could always make more disappear, you know. If I lose three, do you think the 'tooth fairy' will bring me a new handheld?"

Harry chuckled. "You imp." He hugged him close to his heart. "Gods, I'm glad you're here. I missed you, but I thought you were staying with your grandmother this year?"

Teddy pulled back with wet eyes. "So did I, but then Mum came by and said she had been an idiot and we were all coming to see you, and that was more important. I spent the morning with Grandma anyway."

Harry kissed his cheek. "Thank you, love." He turned to his reserved second son and gave him a big smile. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you, too."

"I asked Santa to bring you home," said Al.

"What? Santa?"

"Yeah. I asked him to bring Daddy back, and I got really cold, but then Nana warmed me up, and Mummy helped me write a letter for Santa and send it express!"

Harry shot Ginny a blank look. "A letter to _Santa_ , huh? Funny how this is the first I've heard of it."

She winced. "We were having a blizzard."

"Hm." Harry didn't press the issue for his children's sake. "I'm glad Santa got it in time anyway, Al. I missed you all so much."

"Me too, Papa. I sat in the snow last night for a whole hour waiting on Santa just so we could—"

"Oh my god, you did _what_?" Harry grabbed Albus Severus' shoulders. "Baby, no. Don't ever do that again. You might have frozen to death while your _mother was socialising_."

Ginny covered her face. "I wasn't socialising!"

He glared at her. "You weren't watching over them either. And this after you—" 

Jamie called, "Dad, please. Not today."

Harry sighed and patted his head. "Okay. Come on in, everybody. I don't have a lot of room, but we'll figure something out."

Hermione hugged Harry as she came in. "I'm sorry. We would have sent warning, but we didn't know either until Ginny and the kids showed up five minutes ago. We had planned on bringing dinner for you and your… _friend_ anyway, but we didn't know where to call when you didn't answer your telephone this afternoon. I assume you were with your partner?"

Harry groaned. "It's all over Britain already, isn't it?"

"Harry, love, Lisa was at that party."

"Did she at least get the story straight?"

"No idea. The Prophet doesn't run on Christmas."

"Fair enough." Harry kissed her cheek and waved her in. "Thanks, 'Mione. We weren't up to cooking tonight, so dinner sounds wonderful."

"Hey, I did most of the cooking," said Ron.

"I do hope you've some good antidotes on hand, Uncle Harry," Hugo said with a grin.

"Brat," Ron muttered. "Always with the snark."

The hand on Harry's shoulder clenched and a light rush of breath brushed his ear. Severus liked Hugo's sarcasm, apparently. 

"I think we'll manage, Hugo." Harry chuckled. "Thanks for the warning, though."

Hugo grinned.

Ginny stepped inside and removed her coat. "Oh. This is a… nice place."

Harry scowled. "It's the budget plan."

A minute flinch crossed her face. "I… well, Harry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you so badly."

"No, you shouldn't have." His cold tone made her flinch, but he ignored it. 

"I'm trying to apologise!"

"Yes, I know." Harry turned to Ron and ignored her pouting. "Should we go to yours then?"

"We could." Ron set the basket on Harry's kitchen table. "I reckon we could enlarge this and make it work though. How many places—eleven? Hm. Yeah, I think we can manage that if we stretch it a bit."

Jamie counted heads and gave Teddy a bemused look. "Eleven?"

Teddy shrugged. 

Harry frowned at the table. "It—there isn't much room. Are you sure we can all fit?"

"It's just like when 'Mione and me were just starting out and we all crammed into our tiny kitchen." Ron patted Harry's shoulder. "We'll be fine."

"All right. Then I suppose we can all eat here."

The younger children's squeals of excitement made Harry chuckle. "Glad someone appreciates this place. Well then, I'll just set the table, shall I?"

"I'll help," said Jamie. 

Albus Severus chimed in with, "Me too!"

"So will I," said Teddy.

 _'Enthusiasm born of distance,'_ Harry thought, but let none of his sorrow show on his face. 

"All right, boys. Come on then. Just like… old times." The words cost him too much effort to keep unbroken.

"Wait." Ginny approached with a contrite expression. "Harry, I—I've been an idiot. I'm sorry I kept the kids away and—and for everything." She gave him a warm smile that Harry didn't trust at all. "And—and I have a present for you."

Harry winced and stepped back. "Ginny…."

She shook her head. "It's just these papers for now." 

"Or ever."

Ginny ignored him and rummaged in her purse. "Ah. There they are." She pulled out a stack of papers. "Um, here. Maybe that will make this up."

The fingers on his shoulder clenched, but Harry sensed no mirth behind it this time. He understood, too well. Nothing could make this up. Even if she turned everything around, she had wrecked his reputation, stolen his kids for months, and damn near drove him to suicide all because she was jealous and spiteful and didn't understand his illness. His expression went blank.

"Hm."

"Told you nothing would fix it," Teddy said, his expression twisted in a scowl. " _We_ haven't forgiven you either, you know."

Ginny winced. "I know. Just… read it, okay? The kids still need—"

"Their father?" Harry's voice came out cold, and he didn't regret making her flinch this time either. She deserved much worse.

Still, for the sake of the kids, who didn't need to witness a drawn out battle between them, and for Jamie, who had begged him to keep the peace, he forced his eyes to the papers in his hand.

The words blurred, and the papers dropped to the floor.

"I… need a minute."

Harry dashed out of the room and into the bedroom. He slammed his fist into the wall without thinking, again and again, and only stopped when Severus caught him into a hug. 

"Shh. I am here, pet. What idiocy has she committed now?"

Harry hesitated and glanced towards the hall. 

"The room is muffled, my love. I did not wish the children to hear that loss of control and be frightened."

Harry shuddered and slumped into his chest. "Thank you."

"It is no trouble." Severus wrapped him in a gentle hug. "What has she done, Harry?"

"Joint custody," Harry growled. "She gave me joint custody."

Severus' arms tightened around him. "Custody, but not the return of your inheritance?"

"Exactly. How does she expect me to care for four kids on an auror's salary? I'd have to hire someone to watch them, as there's no way I'll _ever_ trust her again and all the friends I do trust have jobs and lives of their own, too, but how am I to pay for it? I barely have enough income to put a roof over my own head! I can't even afford food beyond instant meals, and that's no life for a kid!"

Severus kissed Harry's forehead. "I will help you until we are able to restore your fortune. And after."

"You shouldn't have to, love. It isn't your responsibility. I just—god! I thought she had _some_ kind of sense, but—"

A small voice interrupted. "Dad? I-I'm sorry. If you don't want us, we—"

Harry ran to his sensitive little boy and lifted him right up into his arms. "Al, no. No, baby. I love you. I haven't been whole without you. I was miserable. I love you and I will do anything to get you back. I-I just don't know how I'm going to pay for it now, that's all."

Al sniffled. "I'll make a really good potion like Professor Snape and you can sell it. Then we can be your kids again, right?"

" _Al_." Harry cradled his head close. "Oh, love. You never _stopped_ being my baby. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't upset at you."

"You're mad at Mum."

Harry let his breath out in a shaky rush. "I… am not happy with your mother, no."

"Oh. But wait, who's that with you, Dad?"

Harry guided his lover into the light. "Al, this is who I wanted you to meet. He's my partner—I mean that like a boyfriend. You know boys can love other boys and the same for girls, right?"

Al nodded, eyes widening into huge pools of verdant emerald so like his father's. "But, Dad, that—that's…."

Severus inclined his head. "I hear we share a name, young man. I am Severus Snape. It's very nice to meet you." He held out his hand, and Al took it with a strangled squeak. 

"You're—you're really? _Oh my god_! Dad, you're dating _the_ Professor Snape?"

Severus chuckled. "Well, I am only a potions master now, but perhaps I will someday achieve the same level of acclaim in invention as my teaching brought me, yes? Or notoriety, perhaps?"

Harry snorted and set his son down. "Chance would be a fine thing." With a wave towards the doorway, he led his lover and son back towards the living room. 

Severus laughed and wrapped his arm around Harry's waist. "Perhaps all I need is a saviour's good will to restore my illustrious reputation, hm?" 

"Ah, so that's why you're dating me. I see how it is." The humour in Harry's eyes belied his words, and Severus chuckled.

"I live to please."

A small voice said, "You use big words, Perfessor."

Harry looked around to find Lily hiding at the end of the hallway, big brown eyes full of worry and confusion. "Heard everything, huh?"

Lily nodded. "But I don't understand the perfessor."

Severus laughed softly and led her into the living room. "Forgive me, little one. I'll work to correct it in your—ah, your company."

Harry kissed his cheek. "You're amazing and I adore you," he whispered. "I—"

Ginny cut him off with a shrill screech. 

"You! You're still _here_?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "You expected me to throw him out on his ear once I had my 'fun,' I take it? Perhaps that is the real reason we had no warning of your impending visit, hm?"

Ginny snarled, but caught herself and gave Harry a clearly false smile. "No, no. Just surprised to see you here, that's all."

"Surprised that I am _still_ here, rather."

"I—no. Just… surprised."

"Great save, Aunt Ginny," Hugo said with a snort. "Really convincing."

Severus' lips twitched. 

"I knew you'd get on well with him, sir," said Ron with a chuckle. "You two have that same dark sense of humour, though you wield yours like a rapier. Hugo is more like a blunt axe."

Hugo grinned. "It's the Gryffindor dingerhead in me, and we both know I didn't get it from Mum."

"Dunderhead," Severus corrected with a chuckle.

Ginny glared. "He is not."

"Oh, come off it, Ginny." Ron gave her a sharp look. "Either get it together or get out."

"I didn't do anything!"

Harry scoffed. "I _could_ argue that the little trick you pulled with your 'present' is enough to get you thrown out on your ear alone, but for their sake, I won't."

"I don't…."

Hermione took Harry's arm. "Harry, what about the present? What has she done?"

"Joint custody."

Hermione frowned. "But don't you want—oh! Oh, I see." Her eyes froze Ginny to the spot. "Seems you need another lesson or twelve."

She looked between them, mouth twisted in a scowl and eyes darting back and forth in clear confusion. "I gave you your kids back! What more do you want from me?"

Harry's fists clenched, magic sparked on his breath, and his eyes closed. With a fierce effort, he forced his voice calm, forced back the rage choking him so as not to terrify the children. 

"Sev, love, will you take the kids into the backyard for a bit? If you feel well enough, maybe making a snowman would be fun."

Ginny started a protest, but Harry's death glare stopped her cold.

Severus shot Ginny a cool look. "Hm. Your wards?"

"It's fine. No one will see anything they shouldn't."

Severus tipped Harry's chin up and searched his eyes. Harry let nothing but fire and steel show in his expression, and Severus gave him a hesitant nod. 

"You will call if you need me?"

"Of course. I'll come join in just a moment."

Severus kissed Harry's forehead. "We will be waiting then."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

"Whenever you need me, beloved." Severus had tacked the pet name on to stake a claim, Harry knew that damn well, but he didn't mind being claimed this time. Let Ginny try to deny it now.

"Children, come." Severus ushered them out of doors, but Teddy and Jamie shared a worried look and hung back.

"It's okay, boys." Harry squeezed their shoulders. "We're just going to talk, yeah?"

"Talk, that's one word for it," Jamie said with a frown. "Just… don't let her take you away from us again."

Harry hugged him and kissed his messy curls. "I won't. Go on. It'll be okay."

Jamie sighed and led Teddy out, both boys leaning on each other for comfort. Harry waited until the door shut behind them, then he turned a frigid glare on Ginny.

"What more do I want? How about what's rightfully mine?"

She stared, uncomprehending. "I don't…."

"What? You thought the custody agreement would make everything peachy between us, and we could all sit down to Christmas dinner, just sweep the fact that you ruined an entire year of my life and a lot of my future under the rug? That I'd just forget about it and we could be friends after all you've done? And that isn't even counting the crap you've said to Severus!"

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the floor. "No. I was just trying to do the right thing."

"You're six years too late! Do you even understand what you took from me? I don't even recognize my own kids! They've all grown up on me, half a year I will never get back, all because you were disappointed that I couldn't be the kind of man you wanted me to be? Because you were _jealous_? No. To hell with that! This time, you went too damn far."

Ginny shuddered and covered her face. "I just—I'm sorry, Harry!"

"Not good enough! Goddamn it, Ginny, I died for you, and you _dared_ suggest I would hurt you? That I would hurt them? I won't even hurt you now, yet you've utterly destroyed me. If not for Sev, I might have even been dead in a gutter somewhere. That's how close I was when I walked into the Hog's Head last night and he gave me hope again."

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, _Harry_."

Ginny hunched in on herself, tears dripping down her face. Served her right. He had certainly wept enough for her betrayals.

Ron grabbed him into a hug. "I'm sorry, mate. We haven't been here enough. You needed us, and—"

Harry patted his back. "Hush. You and 'Mione and the army lot have kept me sane. Even Draco's helped. It's okay. I'm not angry with you at all."

Ron stepped back and wiped his eyes. "Okay, but, Harry, you have to tell me these things. Please. If you get like that, for the love of Merlin, _tell me_ so I can help. I can't stand to lose another brother."

"Me too," Hermione caught him up and kissed his cheek. "I love you. Come to us if you need us, or your partner if you can't face it. Just don't try to fight something that big alone, okay?"

Harry blinked hard. "Sev already pulled me through most of it, but I promise if it gets bad again, I'll reach out this time."

"Thank you. Even if it's the middle of the night, Harry. I don't care. You're my brother, too."

"Okay, 'Mione. It's okay."

Hermione wiped her face and nodded. Harry squeezed her hand, then turned a snarl on Ginny. 

"You wrecked my life, and you think dinner and joint custody is going to fix it? How the hell do you even expect me to take care of them now? I can barely afford this rubbish flat, and you expect me to raise four kids and take care of two more on occasion? 

"As it stands, _Severus_ will have to help me pay for the things they need to live with me—the things I lost when you took my family from me along with everything I own. And you expect this to make me _feel better_? The children will expect the same quality of life I offered them before, and I can't even offer them _poverty_ now!"

Ginny sniffled and looked up. "I-I didn't mean to take your fortune, Harry. That was never a condition of—"

"Well, you haven't exactly been inclined to correct that 'oversight,' now have you?" 

Ginny flinched. "It's just—I-I can't take care of them if I do."

"You can't take care of the kids or you can't live like a pureblood princess any longer?"

"He's right," Ron said with a sharp look. "That isn't your fortune and you know it."

"B-but how will I take care of them?"

Harry shouted, "Maybe, for once in your life, you _trust me to do the right thing_!" He took an unsteady breath and turned away. "I need a few minutes. I'm going to check on Sev and the kids. We aren't going to talk about this mess where they can hear, is that clear, Ginny?"

She sniffled. "Y-yes, but, I'm sorry, Harry. I thought we could start over, and—"

Harry turned away. "There _is_ no starting over, and sorry isn't enough this time. Not _nearly_ enough." He straightened his spine and summoned the custody agreement. "Thank you for giving me my kids back. For their sake, I will maintain a civil relationship with you and keep my personal opinions of your betrayal out of their hearing. But don't expect to ever earn my trust again, and you sure as hell will never get _me_ back." He sent the papers sailing into his filing cabinet. "Now, I'm going to play with the kids and calm down. We will have Christmas dinner together, and we'll be civil about it, and then you and the kids will go home."

Ginny winced. "I-I told them they could stay the week."

Harry cursed and smacked his forehead. "And did you even think to ask me? What if I hadn't been here, hm? I was packing to leave for a week when you arrived? Gods!" 

"But… I thought you'd be happy to—"

"Yes, _if I'd been prepared for it_! Where do you propose I put them, Ginny? I don't even have a guest room, let alone beds for them. And, by the by, how am I feeding them?"

"I-I'll give you money. I—"

"No. What you'll do is you'll tell those kids you screwed up and I don't have space yet, and I will ask Sev if he's willing to house and feed us all for a week. _If_ he agrees, then we'll see what we can do about keeping them safe and fed, but you are going to be the one to tell them you made promises for someone else without ever consulting the person involved, and that you were wrong to do so. You're going to teach them a lesson about considering others before themselves and, maybe, if you try really hard, you'll learn something, too!"

With that, he turned his back and stormed out. 

* * *

A numbing spell in his backside let Severus play along with the children—who had all wanted a snowball fight—without the need to answer potentially awkward questions. He would be recovering longer, and Harry might chew his ear off for it, but it was worth it to take a little burden off his lover and make the kids happy. It didn't surprise him that the fight ended up being six on one, but he didn't mind. Even at those odds, he didn't have to work all that hard to avoid being—

 _Splat_!

Severus shivered and rubbed snow out of his hair. "Which one of you hooligans did that?" His eyes held mirth, though, and the kids squealed and ran away laughing.

"The big one did," Harry called from behind him. 

Severus turned with a wry smile. "Am I in trouble then?"

"I told you to _rest_ , love."

Severus shrugged. "I am well enough, and the kids are having fun."

Harry sighed. "You don't take care of yourself well."

"Says the man who just threw a snowball at my—agh!" Six kids jumped Severus at once, snow in hand, and he laughed as they tackled him to the ground and buried him in an avalanche of snowballs. 

"That—ppfff—was a Slytherin move, children."

They climbed off of him and shared uncertain looks. 

"Well done." 

The kids grinned. 

"You're not grumpy at all, Mister Severus," said Rose. "Aunt Ginny said you were grumpy."

"I was when I was a leader in a war, but that is no longer the case." Severus stood and shook the snow out of his clothes. "I concede defeat, if only because I shall be buried in a snowdrift if your father joins in, too."

Harry chuckled. "I wouldn't actually _bury_ you. I can think of more creative ways to win."

Severus recalled the end of their last match and flushed. "Perhaps so." He shook his head wryly. "Children, your Gryffindor parents are in for a surprise when you all sort into my house."

Harry smirked. "Oh, Al will, I think. Adores you too much not to."

Albus gasped. " _Dad_."

Harry chuckled and ruffled his hair, or what he could reach of it with Al wearing a hat. "Sorry, kiddo." He motioned to the house. "Everyone inside and get those wet coats off. I'll get some—" He winced. "Something hot for you to drink."

Severus whispered to him, "Do you have floo access, love?"

"It's a muggle flat, unfortunately, and not a good one. There's no fireplace at all."

"Ah. Well then, keep them entertained for a moment, and I will bring something from home."

Harry stroked his cheek. "Should you be walking so far?"

"Harry, it is a very minor discomfort. A walk will do me no harm."

Harry nodded hesitantly. "Okay, but after that, I want you off your feet."

Al tugged Severus' sleeve. "Are you sick, Professor? I could try to make a healing potion. I'm not very good yet though."

Severus smiled. "I am fine, little one. If your father is amena—if he agrees, perhaps we might work on your potions training later."

Al gasped, eyes huge. " _Really_? Oh! Yes, Professor! I'll do my best."

Severus smoothed his hair. "Call me Severus, please. I am not a professor any longer."

"Well, you should be," said Hugo. "You're good with kids."

Severus looked at Harry's twitching lips and had to struggle not to burst into laughter. "Ah. There are— _ahem_ —many who would disagree, strongly, but thank you."

Harry buried silent giggles in Severus' shoulder. Severus pressed his face into Harry's hair to stifle his own snickers. 

Hugo gave them a bemused look. "What's so funny?"

Harry turned a laugh into a cough. "Uh, nothing, nothing." He took a steadying breath. "Let's just say my experience of Sev as a teacher was very… different."

Severus snorted. "Different indeed." He chuckled and gathered his composure. "All right, love. Get the children out of these wet coats and dry them out, and I will see about that drink."

Harry kissed him lightly and chuckled at his children's squeals, each of varying degrees of excitement and childish disgust, the kind parents who kissed in front of their kids usually met with. "Thanks, Sev. Okay, kids, you heard him. Inside before your noses freeze."

"I think mine is already frozen, Dad," said Lily with a cautious poke of said organ. 

"Well, we had best hurry inside and thaw it out then." Harry herded them indoors with a grateful look at Severus, and Severus watched him go with a heart full of both worry and love. He was such a good father.

And his ex was a complete moron.

With a scowl at the house and said moron, though no one would see, he headed for the street and back to his house for emergency hot chocolate supplies and a kitchen-safe cauldron to make it in for Al. A few peppermints, cinnamon sticks, chocolate chips, and whipped cream and a box of Christmas biscuits would not go amiss either. Maybe a box of decorations to spruce up the place would make Harry feel better, too.

His plans set, Severus apparated home and started summoning whatever caught his eye.

* * *

Dinner was an awkward affair despite Harry's magnanimity in being a gracious host. His voice gained a frosty edge whenever necessity forced him to speak to his former wife, and she didn't dare say much to him. Thank goodness for that. Harry didn't think he could take any more 'apologies.' Still, it was good food, and having his children back was a dream come true. 

Harry had just cut another slice of ham for Jamie when Lily started giggling. 

"Lily?" 

Harry looked up and realised his daughter was staring at some point above their heads. She pointed, and Rose looked up and giggled, too.

"What in the world?" He turned to look, and his stomach dropped. A bunch of mistletoe had floated over—or had been summoned, more likely—from the corner where Severus had pinned it earlier and wiggled over Ginny's head. 

Harry gave the smirking woman a dark smile. "Well, Severus, perhaps you'd like an extra kiss?" 

Ginny scowled. "I'm not kissing him!"

Severus snorted. "Thank Merlin for small favours."

Ginny huffed. "Well, that's not fair. I'm perfectly kissable. It's just that no one would ever want to kiss y—"

The mistletoe gave a tinny sort of sneeze, wiggled about like a cat ready to pounce, and zipped across the table to hover over Severus' head.

Hugo smirked. "What was that about being perfectly kissable, Aunt Ginny?"

Severus covered a snort in his hand.

"I'll fix it!" Rose leaned over and pecked Severus' cheek, much to the man's surprise. 

"Oh. Thank you, little one."

"You're welcome!"

The mistletoe giggled and stayed stubbornly in place.

"Looks like it's going to take more than a peck." Harry tilted Severus' chin up and slotted their lips together. He kept it chaste for the kids' sake, but the slow, gentle kiss they shared was still loving enough to drive off any mistletoe—and stubborn exes.

Severus pulled back, a little dazed and cheeks red. "Did—did that do it?"

"It went back to the corner about ten seconds ago," said a smirking Teddy. 

Hugo grinned. "Sucks to be you, Aunt Ginny!"

Harry was too busy laughing at Ginny's red-faced scowl to admonish him. 

* * *

Dinner went by with no further 'incidents,' and watching Ginny have to explain to the kids afterwards that she hadn't actually _asked_ if Harry could take them, nor had she given him any time to prepare, was a bit of sweet justice.

"Wait," said Teddy, expression flat, "you're saying you make us ask if we can have a snack, and you couldn't even warn Dad that you'd be dropping four kids on him for a week? On Christmas? Smooth move, Mum."

"Like diarrhea," Hugo muttered. 

Severus had to cover a snort with a cough, though no one bought it. He really did like Hugo. At least Harry didn't need to worry whether Severus would accept his godchildren or not.

"Um, yes," Ginny said, face flushed and expression pained. "It was rather stupid of me."

Jamie scoffed. "You don't say?"

"Jamie," Harry said, tone understanding but firm. "That's enough."

"Okay. Sorry, Dad."

Harry patted his shoulder. "I know you're upset. Just try not to be too mean, okay?"

"Like you weren't even though Mum was mean to you, Daddy?" Lily's question made Ginny drop her head in shame.

"Yes, baby," said Harry. "It's good to be the bigger person when you can. Just remember it's okay to defend yourself or someone else if you need to, okay?"

"Yes, Daddy, I remember."

"Good girl."

Al gave Severus and his father a heartbroken look. "So, Dad doesn't even have anywhere for us to sleep because you took all his money too, Mum?" His question lacked the accusatory tone of the other boys, but it packed more of a punch. "I really wanted to stay, Dad. I miss you so much, and you have Pro—I mean Severus here now, too." Heavy tears formed on his lashes, and Severus caught his chin in a gentle hand. 

"You should not be punished for your mother's mistakes. Harry does not have the room for an extended stay, but I do. We shall all stay at my house, yes?"

Al gasped and grabbed Severus' hand. "We—we're really going to stay at _your house_ , Pro—Severus?"

"Yes, if your mother gives you permission. Harry is staying there for the rest of Yuletide anyway, though perhaps we shall simply conjure blankets and pillows and all spend the night here since it is already quite late tonight. Would that be acceptable?"

Al tackled him into a tearful hug. "Thank you, Severus. I see why Dad loves you so much."

Severus' breath caught. He hugged the little boy and lifted him onto his hip, his expression softer than Harry had ever seen. 

"Yes. The feeling is mutual."

Harry smiled at his lover and took his sniffling goddaughter into a hug. "Hey, what's wrong, love?"

"I wanna stay, too," she said with a little hiccup. "Me and Hugo miss you too."

Harry smoothed her hair. "I just saw you last week."

"But not with everyone all together. I want to be a family again."

"Oh. I—Sev?"

Severus rubbed Harry's back. "It is fine with me, love."

Ron gave his wife a questioning look. She nodded slightly.

"It's okay with us," he said. "Especially if you're all spending the night piled in. The kids won't want to miss that."

"No, they won't," Ginny said, expression tight with annoyance.

Harry gave her a cool look. "No comments on the fact that Sev and I will be sleeping in the same room? Or the week in his house?"

Ginny gave him a forced smile. "You said I have to trust you to do the right thing. So… I'm trying. I can't fix it all overnight, not on Christmas, but I'll get it done as soon as I can."

"Hm." To keep the peace, Harry said nothing further and motioned Hugo over. "Well then, we'll be fine for the night if you all want to go home and get some rest. Are you still taking the kids to your parents' for boxing day, 'Mione?"

Hermione nodded. "We'll be over in the morning to pick them up, but if it's okay with everyone, we can bring them back after boxing day to stay the rest of the week."

Severus nodded. "I had planned to make room for Harry's family when I asked him to accept me into his life."

"You wonderful man, you." Hermione gave him a warm smile. "Then we'll come by here after breakfast tomorrow and make arrangements for the next day then?"

Harry nodded. "Sounds good. Goodnight, then, and happy Christmas."

Hermione kissed his cheek and that of all six kids, then grabbed a stunned Severus into a tight hug. "Thank you. Merlin, thank you."

He patted her back a little awkwardly, cheeks red. "Ah, you're welcome?"

"For me, Sev." Harry slipped his arm around Severus' waist. "She's thanking you for…." He glanced at the too-curious children and moderated his words. "For _helping_ me last night. Again."

Severus' expression softened. "Ah. You are very welcome then, Hermione."

She wiped her eyes and stepped back. "It's been a pleasure to meet the man you were under the masks, Severus. I'm glad you're free to show it now."

Severus inclined his head. "After many years of recovery, yes."

"We're glad to help you along for the rest of the journey, Severus." Ron held out his hand. "Welcome to the pack."

"I am grateful for your assistance." Severus shook Ron's hand. "Pack?"

"It's for me," said Teddy with a blush. "Because I'm half—because my first dad was…."

"Lupin. I see. In that case, I am happy to be included." Severus smoothed the boy's hair, silvery violet at the moment. "Thank you."

Teddy beamed up at him. Harry patted his head and moved to Severus' side. "Okay then. Everyone tell Ron, Hermione, and Ginny goodnight and we'll change into our pyjamas. How does a story and some late-night Christmas biscuits sound?"

"That sounds lovely, Uncle Harry," said Rose. "God bless us, everyone."

Severus chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Indeed."

After a round of goodbyes, the Weasley adults left. Once they had gone, Severus changed everyone into transfigured pyjamas and conjured a massive pile of pillows and blankets in the living room. Harry conjured a sort of tent overhead and lined it with fairy lights, and, once Severus added cushioning charms to soften the floor into something like a giant mattress, the children settled in happily. 

"Okay, everybody. Storytime." Harry gave Severus a curious look. "Do you want to share your version of the holiday story with us? The origins and such? I've never heard it."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Dad, we've all heard that story a million times."

"Well, as it happens, Severus isn't Christian, love, nor does he celebrate the… popular version of Christmas with Santa and stockings and such. Severus is pagan, and his holiday looks a bit different."

"Really?" Al scooted closer to Severus. "How is it different?"

Severus tugged Al right into his lap and gave him a hesitant smile. "Would you like to hear the story of the solstice, perhaps? That is my faith's version of Christmas, so to speak."

Harry leaned into Severus' side. "That's the one about the sun god being reborn, right?"

Severus nodded.

"Yeah, let's hear that one," Al said with wide eyes. "I didn't know there _was_ a sun god."

Severus rubbed the boy's hair. "Not everyone believes in him, and it is fine if you do not. We are all different people with different paths to follow."

Jamie smiled and leaned on his knees. "I like that. Even though you don't believe the same things, you're not saying others are wrong."

"No. I think that other people's beliefs are none of my business, but I do not mind sharing stories from mine if you would like to hear them."

"Yeah," Lily said. "I wanna hear it."

"Then come close and listen, children."

"Okay!"

Harry watched his rapt children scramble for a seat close to Severus, all bright-eyed and smiling, and his heart swelled. This was a new start for them, a new life and a new year with a family he loved, even if it wasn't perfect yet. 

Maybe their lives had been reborn, too.

"You know, love, I think that would be a perfect story for a night like this."

Severus gave him a knowing smile and started his tale.

* * *

The next morning, Severus woke in a pile of little limbs and with his lover curled up against his side. He was a bit sore from the floor and the remnants of his overexertion, and he had someone's small foot in his face and an elbow in his side, but he relished the experience anyway. Waking surrounded by love was a wonderful feeling, despite his minor discomfort.

Harry yawned and opened his eyes. "Mm. Morning, love." He grimaced and edged closer. "I think Al's knee is in my spine."

Severus chuckled quietly. "Yes, I know the feeling. They did have fun, didn't they?"

"I wouldn't trade it for the world." Harry pecked Severus' lips. "Come on. Let's let them sleep in. They wore themselves out."

"Not only themselves," Severus agreed.

Harry dragged himself up and helped Severus to his feet. "Are you up to keeping an eye on them while I make a quick grocery run for…." Harry winced. "Merlin. I don't even have pots and pans to make breakfast in. Never mind."

"I will provide it, beloved. It is no trouble."

Harry sighed and slumped against Severus' chest. "I'm sorry. It's not your responsibility, it's mine, and I can't—"

Severus lifted Harry's chin. "It _is_ my responsibility. I love you, Harry. I have never loved anyone else, and I never will. As far as I am concerned, your children are also mine from this moment on. Even if it is too soon to say those words, my heart and life is yours. And that means I am also committed to helping you raise your children and acting as a second father to them—and yes, that does include your godchildren, too." 

Harry's eyes widened and glistened in the early morning light. "Oh, love. You really mean that?"

Severus rubbed his thumb along Harry's jaw. "I do. I have wanted children of my own all my life but never dreamed I would have the chance to experience such joys. Your brood, all six of them, are all happy, intelligent little souls, and I cannot help but fall in love with them more by the moment." He rested his forehead against Harry's. "Caring for your— _our_ —family is not a chore, Harry. It is the dearest wish of my heart."

Tears rushed down Harry's face, and he grabbed Severus into a passionate kiss. " _God_ , I love you." He wiped his face and flashed a dazzling smile at him. "Then we're a family from here on out, okay? Because that's all I want more than anything in the world—you, me, and all of my kids being happy together."

Severus tilted Harry's chin up and kissed him with all the love he had kept secret and hidden for twelve years. Longer, if he was honest. Harry had always been his, in one way or another, and now, he was Harry's, too. God, he couldn't believe his luck, but he knew he would offer many thanks to the sun god that evening. His rebirth had brought them all such hope and blessings, Severus could hardly breathe for joy. He was sure he had never had reason to smile and laugh as much, and the children had only compounded that joy. 

Yes, he definitely owed the universe his thanks. He had come home, and so had his beloved Harry. His _children_. 

Merlin, life was beautiful. A little late, perhaps, but worth the wait.

* * *

Teddy pulled the tent flap closed and wiped tears from his cheeks. Beside him, Jamie and Hugo did the same. They sat in stunned silence until Severus left and Harry made his way to the kitchen, none of them eager to let the adults know they had witnessed that tender confession.

"He wants us," Teddy whispered. "Not just Jamie and Al and Lily, but _us_ , too." He motioned to Hugo. "He really wants _all_ of us."

Hugo sniffled and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "He's nothing like Aunt Ginny said. He's not even like Nana said. He's not mean _at all_."

"A-and he wants to be our dad," Jamie said, barely able to get the words out for emotion. "Oh, Merlin. I can't believe it. I thought—I was sure—but he just opened up his life to all of us." He covered his face and struggled to keep quiet. "I-I really want him to be our other dad."

"Me too." Teddy hugged Jamie, trying to help him calm down. "Shh. It's okay. They said he was our family now. They said he's our dad, and they were both really happy about it, so I think he really meant it."

"Y-you do? But Mum…."

Teddy winced. "Yeah. I dunno what to think about her. I'm really mad. She's been lying about Severus, and she really hurt Dad." 

Jamie leaned against Teddy's side. "I miss the way Mum used to be."

Hugo squeezed in on Jamie's other side. "Me too. She used to make us those funny sweets, do you remember them? The ones that told jokes or made silly noises when you bit into them?"

"Oh, Merlin. I almost forgot those." Teddy pressed against Jamie's shoulder. "I miss that, too."

Jamie wiped his face. "Do you think Severus will change like Mum did? Do you think he meant it when he said he loves us and wants to be our dad? I—I don't want to lose another parent."

Teddy stared at his pyjama trousers, decorated in frolicking wolves, pale, luminous moons in varying phases, and walking paw prints. He ran his finger along one of the wolves and traced its path around his knee until it vanished. 

"He accepted his place in the pack."

Hugo sniffled. "Yeah? What about it?"

"I overheard Dad talking to your dad once, Hugh. Uncle Ron asked why Severus hated Grandpa Potter and Uncle Sirius so much, and Dad—Merlin. He didn't say what they did, but he told your dad that Grandpa Potter and Uncle Sirius _really_ hurt Severus. He said they bullied him nonstop in school, and then, when he was in fifth year, they did something so bad, Dad said they should have been _expelled_."

"Merlin!" Jamie shuddered and dropped his head. "And I'm named after _both_ of them. He—he's gonna hate me, isn't he?"

Teddy rubbed Jamie's back. "No, that's not what I'm saying. Dad said my first dad was bad to him, too. He—he almost killed Severus twice on the full moon."

"Oh god," Hugo breathed. "How?"

"I don't know exactly, but Dad and your parents were there the second time, I think, so we could probably ask. The first time though, Uncle Sirius tricked him into going into my first dad's hiding place, and Grandpa barely saved him in time. Dad said he hated them all and was scared of werewolves because of it, but…." Teddy pulled a fold of his trousers up. "Look. He made me wolf pyjamas. Plus, he accepted his place in the pack and treated me and Jamie just the same as everyone else, and he loves Dad, too."

Hugo frowned. "What are you getting at, Teddy?"

"It's just, I think if Severus can be so nice to us and call himself our dad and be my pack when our grandparents and my first dad were so mean to him, then I think he _means it_. I think he really wants us because he loves us, and if them being so awful to him didn't make him leave us behind, then _nothing_ will. He's our dad now, and I really think he wants to be our dad forever."

Jamie gave him a tentative smile. "Really? You think so?"

Hugo tapped his chin. "Well, there's one way to test it, I think."

Jamie leaned in closer. "How?"

"Like this…."

* * *

"Teddy! Merlin, look at this mess." Harry gave Severus' ruined study a despairing look. Even charms could only go so far to remove foreign substances, and the massive explosion of paints all over Severus' books and furniture would, most likely, resist even Molly Weasley's most powerful arsenal. 

" _Teddy_. Why?"

Teddy winced. "I just wanted to pretend to be an artist, Dad. You know, like Picasso. I only meant to get the paint on the paper, but I wasn't paying enough attention and… well…."

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "Those books are irreplaceable, Teddy. Apologise to Severus right now, and then march your bum right into the bath, and heaven help you if you get one speck of paint on anything else."

Teddy sniffled and dropped his head. "I-I'm really sorry, Severus. And Dad. I…."

Severus sighed and tucked a strand of paint-laden hair behind Teddy's ear. "You are interested in painting?"

Teddy blinked up at him, his confusion clear. "I—I don't understand."

"You said you wanted to be an artist. Was that only play, or do you have a true interest in art?"

Teddy's eyes widened. "I-I really like to paint."

"Hm. Perhaps you would enjoy art lessons?"

Teddy gasped. "Oh, Merlin. I—I would love to learn…." He winced and let his head fall. "But Mum says artists don't make enough to support themselves and I have to learn practical things."

Harry growled under his breath. "Does she now?"

"Y-yeah. Don't be mad, Dad. I don't think she meant it in a mean way. She was just worried about me."

"Hm." Severus tipped the boy's chin up to meet his eyes. "Teddy, it is true that art is a difficult field to master and well-paying jobs are scarce, but new opportunities open every day, and who is to say you will not do well? You are still young regardless, and may change your mind before you are ready to enter the workforce. Either way, it is not healthy to waste your life working in a job you do not enjoy. If you wish to pursue a career as an artist, your father and I will support you. And art lessons will do you no harm even if you do not decide to continue painting as an adult."

Teddy gaped at him. "R-really? You would really help me learn even if it ends up being a waste of time?"

"Whether you use the skills you gain in lessons as an adult or not, learning and expanding your experience and knowledge will help you in whatever path you choose to follow. And yes, if you wish to take art lessons, I will see to it that you receive them."

Teddy's lower lip quivered and his eyes welled. "Oh."

Before either man could react, the boy flung his arms around Severus and hugged him. As he was covered from head-to-toe in paint, the result left Severus' clothes in a ruin, too.

"Thank you, Severus. And—oops!" Teddy moved back, cheeks red and expression contrite. "I'm sorry."

Severus looked down his front and gave a wry chuckle. "My first day as a guardian for the little ones has already been eventful, yes, love?"

Harry smiled in spite of his dismay. "Definitely. That's a good look for you, though."

Severus snorted. "Well, it seems I am your first successful painting, Teddy."

The boy grinned through lingering tears. "Y-yeah?" His smile faded. "I-I'm really sorry about your books."

Severus kissed his cheek. "They are only books, and I think I am able to salvage them. They may retain a bit more colour than they started with, but that is not so awful, yes? _Tergeo Maxima_!" A whirlwind of colour swirled into his wand, leaving Teddy, Severus, and the room mostly clean. A few stubborn spots of colour remained, but Severus only tucked his wand away and smiled. 

"There now. A little work will get the stains out of the furniture, and the books have suffered no great harm."

Teddy wiped his eyes. "You're not going to punish me?"

"Hm. I think helping me clean the mess is sufficient punishment, yes?"

Teddy grimaced. "Definitely."

Harry snorted. "If you want to be an artist, kiddo, you had best get used to cleaning up paint."

Teddy tilted his head, and his face smoothed into a pensive expression. "Yeah. I reckon I should." He straightened his spine and stood as tall as his small frame allowed. "Okay, Severus. Where should we start?" 

Severus summoned a bucket, scrubbing brushes, a stack of tatty flannels, and several phials of what Harry assumed to be cleaning solution.

"We mix these and scrub away."

Teddy grabbed a brush and nodded. "Let's get busy then."

Severus mixed the solution and set him to work.

* * *

While his dads taught his younger siblings to make popcorn garlands—and taste-tested a few—Teddy led Jamie into the kitchen and brought his head close. He couldn't forget Severus was a spy and Harry an auror. Discretion was of the utmost importance if their little plan was to work.

"I 'accidentally' painted Severus' study," Teddy whispered.

"Oh. Merlin." James fidgeted and tugged at his jumper. "What did he do?"

"He didn't even get _mad_. Not even a little. He just asked me if I liked to paint and said he would get me in art lessons." Teddy sniffled. "I-I really want to learn, too."

"He didn't punish you _at all_?" Jamie's eyes went wide. "Nothing?"

"He just asked me to help scrub up the mess, which was fair since I made it. And he taught me which potions were best for cleaning paint spills. And he sent an owl off to ask someone he met in Italy to teach me!"

" _Italy_?" Jamie stared, wide-eyed. "Really?"

"Yeah. I watched him write it. He even showed me how to do some cursive letters with a quill."

"Wow. Teddy, do you think…?"

"Maybe. Let's see what happens next."

The boys nodded and returned to the living room, faces wiped of all evidence of their secret plans.

* * *

Harry watched his son and godson sneak off to the kitchen and gave Severus a wry look. He leaned in to whisper, "Should we give them credit for _thinking_ they could slip by us?"

"An E for effort, as they say?"

Harry chuckled. "What do you suppose they're up to?"

"I am sure we will find out soon enough."

Harry nodded and held up his string. "Okay, Al. Your turn. Pick a good piece!"

Al laughed and sorted through popcorn fluff for the perfect piece. That more made it to his mouth than to the garland was just part of the experience.

* * *

The kids had gone to bed half an hour ago, all smiling and happy, and Severus knew he could never return to a solitary existence. Harry and his children had laid footprints on his heart, and nothing would erase them now. Whatever happened between them, this was his future.

He didn't mind, though he could do without Ginevra's issues. Still, he would deal even with her for the sake of having this dear family in his life. 

He poked his head into the boys' room, just to make sure they were all sleeping soundly. A quick adjustment to Jamie's blanket had the boy jerking awake.

"Dad?"

Severus' heart throbbed. Gods. What he wouldn't give.

"It is Severus, child. Forgive me. I did not intend to wake you."

"I-I had a nightmare," Jamie murmured, cheeks red. 

"Hm." Severus set a charm so their low voices wouldn't wake Al and Teddy and sat beside Jamie. "Would you like to tell me about it?"

"Y-you really want to know?"

"If you want to talk about it, yes."

Jamie shivered. "I dreamed Mum took me away and left me in a desert. I was all thirsty and hot, and there was no one, and you and Dad didn't come." Tears shone in his eyes. "I don't want to be left all alone."

Severus pulled the small boy, more alike in looks to Lily than his namesake, into a gentle hug. "You will not be left alone. Should anything happen to you, your father and I will move heaven and earth to find you."

Jamie sniffled and buried his face in Severus' shoulder. "Do you hate me?"

" _Hate_ you? Merlin. Whatever gave you that idea, child?"

"Because you hated Grandpa and Uncle Sirius, and they hurt you so much, and I…."

"Oh." Severus smoothed the boy's hair. "Where did you hear that, little one? I know your father did not tell you."

"T-Teddy heard him talking about it with Uncle Ron. What did they do? We don't know."

Severus winced. "Much of it is not appropriate for children's ears, and it is… not something I am able to speak of easily regardless. It was… very cruel, child, and left deep scars on my heart that I have yet to completely recover from."

Jamie whimpered. "Oh. I-I'm sorry."

"Jamie, listen to me, child." Severus lifted the boy's chin and held his face. "What James Potter Senior and Sirius Black did to me does not matter. _You_ are not at fault for their sins, and the fact that you bear their names does not make me hate you. You are your own person, child, and far different from Potter and Black. They were braggarts and bullies, at least to me, but you are rather shy." 

Severus rubbed the boy's tears away. "I do not hate you, Jamie. Not at all. Quite the opposite, actually."

Jamie gasped and clutched Severus' hands. "Really? You— _really_?"

"Yes." Severus tucked Jamie's hair behind his ears. "Does that ease your mind?"

Jamie nodded and hugged Severus' neck. "I love you, too." A small kiss to Severus' cheek sent a surge of light throughout his chest and made his eyes well. Oh. Oh gods, was this what it meant to have a son? Severus caught him into a hug and held him close against his heart. He couldn't speak, but perhaps the way he clutched the boy closer and kissed his hair would make it clear. 

When he found the voice to form words again, he led the boy back under the covers and brushed his hair back from his face. "Are you able to go back to sleep?"

Jamie hesitated. "I—I think so, but…."

"What is it, child?"

"Would you stay? Just until I'm asleep?"

Severus sat beside him again and held his shoulder. "I am right here. Would you like a story?"

Jamie nodded and pulled his blanket up to his neck. "Yeah. That might help."

"Very well. Once upon a time, there was a young, muggleborn girl who looked just like you…."

* * *

Harry stood by the door to Severus' guest room and watched the man murmur to his firstborn with a smile on his face and a heart overflowing with love. This was everything he had ever wanted, his loved ones all around and Severus helping him raise his children. 

Merlin, how his life had changed in just a few short days. So much had happened since that night in the Hog's Head, it seemed like another life. 

Perhaps it was. A dark, dreary life devoid of everything joyful, with only the echoes of lost hopes remaining. Harry shuddered as the memories of those moments washed over him anew. A last-minute decision to force himself into the cold and the snow and out of the dismal little flat he hated had proved to be the best choice he had made in a long, long time. 

Would he have made it through the holidays if he hadn't met Severus that night? Well, probably. He hadn't been hopeless enough to give up, not yet. Even so, he had come too close. 

Thank Merlin Severus had been there to drag his arse out of the fire. Again.

Harry wrapped his arms around his chest to drive back a sudden chill inside. Yes, Severus had been there this time, but what if Harry started feeling that way again? Much as he loved Severus, it wasn't fair to expect him to bear the burden of Harry's recovery. And Severus—gods, he had changed so much. Ten years away from Britain and the pressures of British society had done wonders for his psyche.

Harry wanted that kind of healing, too.

He rested his head against the doorframe and sighed. Maybe he should see that mind healer Kingsley had recommended a few months ago. Well, it couldn't hurt anyway. Probably.

Severus looked up and smiled at Harry. He was so uninhibited, so happy, nothing like the broken man he used to be. 

Harry wanted to be happy, too. For his kids, and so he could be a light for Severus when he was low, just as Severus had been for him. He wanted to heal for them, and maybe he was overdue for some honest joy, too.

Severus brushed Jamie's hair back once more, checked on Al and Teddy, and joined Harry at the door. "He is asleep again."

"Thanks for taking care of him for me, love. Did he have a bad dream?"

Severus' eyes shuttered. "He dreamed we abandoned him. He thought I would hate him."

"What? Why?"

"Teddy, apparently, overheard some of my past. Because he was named after my tormentors, Jamie believed I would blame him for their crimes."

"Oh, _Merlin_. I didn't want him to know. At least, not until he's older and better able to understand it." Harry watched Jamie turn on his side, heart torn with the knowledge that both of his boys would endure contention over their names now. "I should have given them different names. Well, Ginny insisted on Al's first name, but even so, I didn't want them to hate their names."

"Hm. Tell them the good things their namesakes did as well as the bad."

Harry frowned. "Al? How am I to tell him good things about the bastard who broke me?"

"Hm. I will do it then."

"You will? He was just as awful to you, if not worse!"

Severus nodded. "He was also the closest thing to a father I have ever known."

"That—that just makes it worse, Sev."

"I am able to see him as a human being now, love, with good parts and bad. If the children already know the bad parts, then I will tell them of the good."

"Them? Oh. Lily."

"I meant Jamie as well."

Harry gaped. " _Jamie_? You're going to tell him good things about my _dad_? The bully who abused you?"

"Indeed."

Harry swallowed hard. "Like—like what?"

Severus' expression turned soft and knowing. He pulled Harry close, one arm resting around his lover's waist, the other hand buried in his hair.

"I will tell him his grandfather had enough honour to save an enemy's life. That he fought bravely in a terrible war when he was barely grown. That he loved you and your mother enough to lay down his life for you."

Harry blinked hard. "And Sirius?"

"He fought the same battles as James. He adored you and your parents. He broke out of an impenetrable prison and damn near starved to death to save you. And, like Potter, he gave his life to protect you." Severus kissed Harry's forehead. "Those grudges are thirty-years too old, beloved. Time to heal has also allowed me the freedom to move beyond the shackles of my past. They were terrible people to me, perhaps, but I was not perfect either, and they have been dead for decades. There is no point in holding onto that hatred now."

Harry cupped Severus' cheeks. "I am so bloody proud of how far you've come." He pressed up on his toes, and Severus met him for a soft kiss. 

"I think I'm going to see a mind healer," Harry murmured. "I've never really had an opportunity to heal, and I don't want to pass that baggage on to the kids."

Severus held him against his chest. "Hm. I think that is wise. I saw one for several years after the war, and simply speaking to someone safe about the pain I endured helped me to move beyond it and learn to find joy in life again. I will support you, love, if you are ready to seek treatment."

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

Severus kissed Harry's forehead. "I am proud of you as well. You are such a wonderful father." Gentle hands smoothed Harry's cheeks and brushed a sudden rush of tears away. "Come. Let us go to bed. I am exhausted."

Harry nodded and led his lover to the bedroom. "Sev? Thank you, love. You saved more than my life this time."

Severus closed the door and guided Harry into a slow, tender kiss. "I will save you any time you need it." 

"You always do."

"And I see no reason to stop the habit of a lifetime now." He swept Harry's body flush against his own and whispered against his ear, "Are you too tired to make love to me? I miss the feel of you already."

Harry shivered and stroked Severus' bum. "Mm. Are you still hurting?"

"No, but if it troubles you and if you are willing, perhaps you might let me try…?"

Harry stilled. "I… I'm not sure I can. It terrifies me."

"What frightens you about it, pet? Is it simply the idea of pain, or something else?"

Harry shuddered and broke away. He moved to the window, one hand pressed to his mouth, and watched a light snow accumulate atop the mess the kids had made of Severus' lawn. A carrot-nosed snowman stared back, button eyes blank and empty.

"Harry?" Gentle hands caressed his shoulders and down his arms. "Love, there is no pressure. If you do not enjoy it, then you may take me as much as you wish. It is only that I had the sense…."

"I want it," Harry whispered. "I want you to dominate me. I want you to hold me down, tie me up, and take me." He whimpered and curled in on himself. "But I'm terrified to let you."

Severus wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and rested his chin on the auror's shoulder. "I will not hurt you, my love." He hesitated. "Ah, you are not masochistic…?"

Harry grimaced. "No. Pain definitely doesn't do it for me."

"Nor I. Well, a little is sometimes thrilling, but nothing that will leave a mark. I have suffered too much to find pleasure in it now, I think."

"Yeah. Me too." Harry leaned against Severus' chest. "It's not the fear of pain. I just—" He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. "I've never let myself fall. I've never let anyone else carry me."

He turned in Severus' arms and rested his head under his lover's chin. "It was never safe for me to let go. I should have been able to trust the Dursleys to take care of me, but they forced me into virtual slavery instead."

"There was nothing virtual about it." Severus' hand came up to cradle Harry's head. "They enslaved you."

"Y-yeah. Then, I should have been able to trust Dumbledore, I did trust him, but he used me, too. He did more harm than the Dursleys, I think. I always knew they hated me and never expected more, but Dumbledore—he used _love_ to enslave me all over again. And he did it to the man I love, too. He did it to _everyone_."

Severus tucked his head over Harry's and held him close against him. His arms offered strength and shelter, and, though it frightened him a little, Harry leaned into his touch. Severus shifted his weight to better bear Harry's and supported him with strong, loving arms.

"I am here," he whispered, and Harry felt his resistance melt a little more.

"It's always been like that," Harry murmured. "Everyone I ever trusted let me down. I have had to be strong all alone for so long. Only Ron and Hermione have been there to support me through everything, and even Ron has been a flake a few times, though he grew up and I forgave him years ago. I just can't _forget_." Harry shuddered and pressed his head closer. "I want to let go. I want to give in and let myself be free in your arms, but if I do…."

Severus nuzzled his hair. "You fear I will let you fall."

Harry whimpered. "Y-yeah. I'm sorry, love. I do trust you. It's just, the idea of giving you complete control of me is terrifying even though…."

"I understand." Severus sighed into Harry's hair. "Until you, everyone I ever cared for hurt me as well. Like you, I have always had to be strong, always had to fight to survive, and I never had an ally in the hardest moments. Letting myself fall into your arms was terrifying and freeing all at once."

Harry leaned back and curled his fingers into Severus' shirt. "How—how did you do it? How did you let that fear go?"

Severus tipped Harry's chin up. "You. When I was at my weakest, when I was dying and alone and had no hope of an ally on either side of the war, you came to me. You healed me, you cradled me in your arms, you promised me everything would be all right, and it _is_. You saved my life and gave me hope, my Harry. Trusting you to take care of me was easy, because that is what you have always done, at least when I allowed you close enough."

Harry met Severus' eyes and searched them for the strength to do what he most longed to. "You—you won't let me fall?"

"I will carry you close to my heart and protect you, as I have always done, even when it was not obvious."

Harry's fingers tightened in the silky material under his hands. _"Just as I have always done."_ It was true. This man, for all that he snarled and spat insults at Harry as a child, had always been willing to give his life for Harry's. He had sacrificed everything to keep Harry safe, and Harry knew, if he asked, Severus would do it again. He was Harry's protector, his lover, his soulmate, and lifelong companion. He had given Harry his everything, down to his fortune, his heart, his trust, and his body.

And Harry wanted Severus to have all of him.

"Y-yeah. I'm yours then. Just be gentle?"

Severus shivered. "Always." He guided Harry backwards. "If you ever become afraid, simply say so, and I will release you immediately."

Harry allowed Severus to pin his hands against the wall and gave him a shy smile. "Yeah. I trust you, love."

"Good. Then let yourself fall, beloved. I will be there to catch you."

Harry shivered and gave himself over to Severus' will. A quicksilver, trembling sensation flooded his chest and surged through his limbs. His heart raced and his breath came faster. Merlin. Severus had barely touched him, and he was already flying.

Severus pressed their mouths together, and everything within Harry melted. His thoughts fell away, and nothing remained but his senses. The feel of Severus' hair woven through his fingers and the warmth of his tongue lapping at Harry's throat. The heat of their bodies, pressed close and fiery with need. The slick _tchk_ of their lips parting and meeting again, the rustle of fabric as clothes dropped to the floor, the whisper of soft hands over velvet skin, and the low timbre of Severus' voice blending in harmony with Harry's own. The taste of salty skin and sweet lips. The faint scent of sweat and masculine musk overlaying cinnamon and evergreen. The sparkle of fairy lights in the midnight depths of Severus' eyes, the sheen on his pale skin.

His fears, his worries, everything gave way to sensation, and Harry slipped into the blissful oblivion of complete surrender.

This was it, that feeling of freefalling, of utter trust and surrender. He had longed for this peace his entire life, to let his guard fall and his body yield to another. To submit his will, his desires, to place the burden of control in his lover's hands and trust him to carry him through.

Through a haze of passion, Harry sensed strong hands lifting him at the shoulders and the knees and carrying him against a firm chest.

_"I will always carry you."_

Harry leaned against Severus' shoulder and let himself be held. The adoration in Severus' eyes reassured him that he would be safe here, that Severus wouldn't let him fall.

Severus lay Harry upon the sheets and undressed him piece by piece, anointing every bit of skin revealed with soft hands and searing kisses. The sight of those long, pale fingers caressing Harry's golden-toned body sent delicious quivers through him. Severus mightn't be the most beautiful of men, though Harry adored his every feature and imperfection, but dear gods, those _hands_. He could watch them all day and never tire of their sensual grace. 

Said hands dropped lower and surrounded his straining erection, and Harry bucked into the touch with a strangled gasp. The spaces between Severus' fingers revealed flashes of red, hard flesh, and Harry watched, transfixed and falling into ecstasy by the sight alone. 

Severus smirked up at him. "I have noticed a certain… _fetish_." He traced one of those beautiful hands up Harry's chest, over his nipples, and scraped his fingernails lightly through the black curls all down the middle of his torso. "You _do_ enjoy my hands on you, hm?" He dragged a fingertip along the underside of Harry's erection and swirled around the tip, and Harry choked back a cry.

"Merlin, yes."

Severus' expression softened. "I am glad you find me attractive, even if I am not—"

Harry jerked out of his daze enough to nip that fear in the bud. "No."

Severus flinched a bit. "Oh."

" _No_ , silly man." Harry cupped Severus' cheeks. "Don't go there. Don't think that. I love you. Every part of you. You're fucking devastating as far as I'm concerned, and I don't give a toss what anyone else thinks."

Severus closed his eyes at a gentle kiss to his infamous nose. "Thank you." His voice came out rough. "No one has ever…."

Harry whispered against his mouth, "No one ever bothered to look then. You're not perfect, love, but neither am I, and I love your body. Don't ever let yourself think I'm settling or whatever nonsense you've got rattling around in there. You're striking and sexy as hell and your hands, your voice, your eyes, and goddamn, this _hair_ …." Harry ran his hands through Severus' silky tresses, longer now than during his stint as a professor, and dragged him into a deep kiss. "You're gorgeous to me, Severus. Never doubt it."

Severus pushed Harry into the mattress and pinned his hands. "Gods, I love you." 

He gave a stuttered breath that was maybe part sob and kissed Harry until his mind fogged again, drugged in the soul-searing pleasure of his passion. Harry surrendered willingly and let the world fall away in his arms. 

Merlin, this had to be something like heaven. 

Severus dropped and sucked Harry into a whirlwind of heat and water. Harry buried a cry in his wrist and wrapped his other hand in those gorgeous strands of ebony silk. The sensuality overloaded his senses, and Harry clutched tight, lost to everything but the feel of his lover's mouth on him, his hands caressing everywhere they could reach. He hardly registered Severus guiding him onto his knees, but the fingers spreading him open roused him. Searing anticipation surged through his blood, and the first swipe of wet heat across his opening set Harry on fire. He buried his cries in the pillows and rocked onto that wicked tongue, helpless against the crash of ecstasy ringing through every inch of his body. Firm pressure and wriggling heat inside set him shaking and thrashing against the pillows. 

"Sev," Harry gasped out, voice unsteady, "too much. Too close."

Severus eased out and brought Harry to rest on his knees, his fierce erection rubbing his cleft.

"You are beautiful in pleasure," Severus murmured, breathless. 

Harry turned to kiss him and jolted at a taste of mint. Had he used a cleaning spell on Harry? Merlin, he hadn't noticed. Severus caressed Harry's erection, touch just firm enough to keep him interested, and dropped down to fondle his bollocks. Harry watched him stroke and squeeze, almost more turned on by the visual than the touch itself. Another hand snaked down Harry's cleft and stroked the underside of his sack. Severus conjured a wedge pillow or something like it behind his back and leaned against it, so Harry sat in his lap with his legs spread wide open and two perfect hands stroking his bollocks. He had a prime view of both hands like this, including the one tracing his opening, and the sight dragged a moan from him. 

"Mm. I want you to watch," Severus whispered. "Watch me open you, and watch me take you for the first time. Yes?'

Harry choked out a rushed agreement between gasps and whimpers. Severus rolled Harry's bollocks up against his cock, clearing a path to see a slim finger shining with lubrication slide into his body. Harry whined and pressed down against it, wanting to see more, wanting it deeper.

A mirror appeared between his legs, angled to give both men an ideal view of Harry's pink rim clenching around that slim digit and Severus' cock bobbing with his movements. 

"Oh _god_." 

Harry couldn't take his eyes off the glass, couldn't breathe for the pleasure of watching himself take Severus' fingers inside him. He rocked against them, all thought of resistance gone to the heat branding him from the inside out. 

"Mm. You are so tight, so hot around my finger."

Harry whimpered at the rough, low tones murmured in his ear. Merlin help him, the added pleasure of Severus' sinful voice and praise nearly drove him over the edge.

"Oh, I feel how close you are." Severus eased out and slid another finger in beside the first, and Harry bit his lip against a cry.

"Does it feel good, pet? These fingers you adore sliding in and out, in and out, so deep inside you?"

Harry sobbed, "Ye-he-hes."

"Oh, my love, you are so desperate. Do you want me? Do you want to see my cock slide into you?"

" _Fuck_. Say it again."

"Do you want my cock inside you, Harry?"

Harry gasped and rocked onto his fingers. "Nngn. Yes. Yes, in me."

Severus eased his fingers out and guided his head to tease Harry's rim. With the mirror, Harry saw everything. 

"Ah, ah, Sev, a little scared."

Severus stroked Harry's stomach and kissed his neck and ears. "You are safe, my love. I will not hurt you." He kissed Harry's temple and held him close. "Do you need to stop, love?"

That Severus had given him the option was enough.

"No. I want you. Just go slow."

Severus brought Harry into a slow kiss and teased his entrance. Harry's fear shifted to desire, and he pushed down.

"Sev…."

"Watch," Severus ordered, voice husky. "Watch me take you."

Harry obeyed with a groan, and gasped at the sight and feel of his rim stretching to admit that slick, rosy tip. Severus moaned in his ear and gave a few shallow thrusts. 

"Merlin. Merlin, you feel so good."

Harry gasped, "Wait. No more yet."

Severus nodded and caressed Harry's chest, fingers buried in his body hair and expression taut with pleasure. Harry watched his shaft slide in and out in barely-there movements and his rim clenching around Severus' cock. He bore down, and the pressure eased enough to allow Severus in deeper. 

Harry gasped at the stretch, the burn, but didn't dare close his eyes. He wanted to see every shift, every thrust.

Severus groaned and pressed in more and more, stretching Harry's slick opening, and Harry couldn't help pressing back. Bit by bit, all of that glorious cock disappeared inside him, and Harry whimpered at the fullness, the rightness of it all.

"Sev," he panted, "make love to me."

Severus eased out and back in, and Harry groaned at the sight of his wet cock moving into him. He bounced atop him, desperate for more, and Severus banished the mirror and lifted him to his knees. 

"God, Harry."

"There—there's no need to call me god, sir."

Severus laughed breathlessly. "My cheeky Gryffindor brat. Three-hundred points to Gryffindor for being a minx." He groaned and thrust in deep. "I can't hold back much longer."

"'S okay. Me neither. Harder, Sev."

"Merlin, yes."

Severus held Harry close against him and set a slow, firm pace. Deep strokes against his prostate set Harry panting and gasping pleas for more. Severus was so full, so thick inside him. So strong and gentle all at once. 

Harry had never known intimacy, never known trust until that moment. 

He relaxed into Severus' body and let everything go. Utter surrender left him reeling, liberated and loved and _free_. He closed his eyes and let the tsunami of Severus' love wash him away. Another night, another rebirth in Severus' arms. 

Severus murmured in Harry's ear, "Touch yourself. Let me see you come."

Harry groaned at the realization that Severus had conjured the mirror under them again and was watching Harry's cock bob and pulse with every thrust. Merlin, so hot.

Harry moaned and took himself in hand, and the feel of Severus' hitching, gasping breaths over his shoulder, the way his fingers clenched on Harry's hips only increased the pleasure. Dark eyes drank in every stroke, every squeeze, every thrust into his hand and back into Severus, and Harry's body caught fire with the forbidden delights of performing for another's eyes. Severus murmured praise in his ear and moaned into his neck, and Harry's pleasure coiled tight and diffused throughout his body, tingling and hot and sparkling under his skin. 

Severus arched back, body taut and lips parted. "Harry, oh, my Harry."

The words had the tone of a prayer, and Harry answered with a cry of joy. 

" _Severus_!"

Stars burst under his skin, his body pulsed with light, and everything inside him turned molten. Harry arched and gave a wordless cry. Come splattered the mirror again and again, and Harry fell into oblivion. Pleasure. Quicksilver release. Love. He knew nothing more. 

Dimly, he registered an answering cry and a surge of heat deep within, and a soft murmur of contentment crossed his lips. Perfect. For this one, sweet moment, everything was perfect. His kids were home, Severus loved him, and he was well on his way towards a new, happier future. 

Yes. Harry had finally come home.

Severus vanished the mirror and the mess and flopped atop his exhausted lover. "God. That was incredible." He moved off Harry and cuddled him into gentle arms and strong legs. "Are you well? You are not hurt or afraid?"

Harry blinked hard and gave him a smile edged with happy tears. "I'm brilliant, love. Better than I've ever been."

Severus kissed his damp forehead and pressed him closer. "Thank Merlin."

Harry nodded and let himself drift in Severus' arms.

* * *

A knock at the door sounded what felt like moments later. Harry sat up with a groan and conjured pyjamas onto Severus and himself.

"Hm? Whassamatta?"

A fluffy black head poked into the room. "Daddy? I had a bad dream."

Harry cast a subtle cleaning charm on the bed and motioned Al up. "Come here and tell us about it."

Al hesitated. "You won't mind, Severus?"

Severus sat and opened his arms. "Come. Would you like to sit in my lap and talk to us?"

Al sniffled and dashed into Severus' arms. "I-I don't want you to leave."

Severus lifted the boy into his lap and smoothed his wild curls, so much like Harry's own. "I have no desire to leave, child. What has you so frightened?"

"T-that was my dream. That you left Dad, and Dad had to give us back to Mum because he couldn't afford to take care of us without you."

Harry closed his eyes in grief. "Oh, Al." 

Merlin. He was barely six. Harry hated that he had to dream about such things so young when his biggest concerns should be starting primary school and learning to read.

Severus held the boy against his shoulder and quieted a rush of tears with gentle strokes through his hair. "Shh. That will not happen, little one. I have loved your father longer than you have been alive. I will not give him up now, and either way, you will not lose him. Harry adores you, Albus Severus. All of you."

Al gave him a cautious smile. "You really loved Daddy so long?"

"Indeed. I have loved him in one way or another for twenty-eight years."

"But dad's only twenty-seven!"

"I loved him the moment I knew my childhood friend was pregnant. So I have loved your father longer than even _he_ has been alive. In the proper world, at least."

Harry chuckled and rested his head on Severus' shoulder. "Yeah, and I was sixteen when I first fell in love with Sev."

Severus gasped. "Sixteen?"

"Had quite the fancy for the Prince, love."

"Oh. Oh, Merlin." Severus kissed Harry's hair. "How fitting. It seems as though we are fated. Do you agree, my Harry?"

Harry bobbed his head without lifting it from Severus' shoulder. "Yeah. Feels like fate to me, too."

"Well, there you are then." Severus rubbed Al's back. "I am staying with you, Albus Severus, where I am happiest. Does that help?"

Albus Severus beamed. "Yeah. Thank you, Severus." He snuggled under the man's chin. "Um, but can I sleep here with you?"

Severus nodded and tucked the boy into the blankets between Harry and himself. "There now. You are safe and loved. Do you think you can sleep?"

Al gave him a sleepy nod. "All better now."

"Good. Then go to sleep, child. Your father and I watch over you."

Al snuggled into Severus' shoulder. "Yeah. Um, goodnight." 

"Goodnight, love." Harry kissed his forehead, Severus kissed his cheek and pecked Harry's lips over the boy's head, and all three settled back down for the night. Harry had almost fallen asleep again when a small voice murmured into the silence.

"Severus? I think you're a good father."

Severus' breath caught. Harry reached for his hand across the boy, and Severus met his eyes, the fairy lights reflecting on a raw, open expression like Harry had never seen upon his face.

"He's right. You're a wonderful papa."

Severus blinked hard and whispered, "Papa…."

Harry stroked his palm and vowed that one day, Severus would hear those words from his kids. He would be their papa.

Merlin, he couldn't wait.


	5. Part V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the conclusion of this monster Christmas story that turned out to be not so much a Christmas story as one that just happens to take place during the holidays. *shrug* It works for me. I have an epilogue oneshot planned later, but for now, I need a break. I started this mad dash 3 weeks ago and now have a full-length novel on my hands. Whew. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> Also, I adjusted Lily's age up a year. It's hard for me to judge given my son is nonverbal, but I think she's too mature here for a 3 year old. I will go back and edit timelines accordingly.

#  **I'll Be Home for Yuletide**

* * *

## PART V

Ginny sat by the floo and waited for the call. Oh, it was coming. She had no doubt about that. She had let her kids go with _that man_ because protesting more than what she had done would have set Harry against her—well, more than he already was—but it wouldn't last. Any minute now, the call would come.

She had never forgotten how cold Snape had been. Calculating. Cruel. And he hated Harry's family. It was only a matter of time. 

The first time Jamie acted up or Albus demanded more attention than Snape was willing to give, the first time Lily threw a tantrum or Teddy got into messes, Snape would show his true colours. He would snap and snarl and shove them all away, and Harry would see that he was bad for the kids. He would remember how nice Ginny had been at dinner, and then everything would be fine. 

She didn't even need to deal with the financial situation, because soon, Harry would be hers again, and they could be a family together. 

Just as soon as the call came. When Harry came back to her, their kids in tow, brokenhearted and in need of comfort, she would be there. 

She settled in with the latest wizarding romance, but the sound of scratching at the window startled her out of it. An owl? Surely it couldn't have happened _already_. But no, that owl didn't belong to Harry.

Wait. Could Harry even afford an owl?

Ginny dismissed a squirming roil of guilt. The situation would heal itself soon.

She let the owl in—a grey eagle owl, the great hulking beast. 

"What do you have there? I'll take it."

The owl screeched and fluffed up his feathers.

"You beast. Give it over!"

The owl snapped at her reaching hands and flew off into the house. 

"Hey! Get back here!"

Ginny chased the owl into the kitchen, where it landed with an irritated hoot in front of Molly. 

"Oh, is this for me then?" Molly gave her daughter a narrow-eyed look. "What are you doing, chasing an innocent owl through the house? You know quite well they'll only give their letters to the proper addressee." She took the envelope and gave the bird a piece of ham leftover from dinner. 

"I just wanted to see what it was," Ginny said with a huff.

"Well, it isn't for you." Molly opened the letter and scanned it. "Oh, it's from Severus. This must be his owl."

Ginny glared at the bird. No wonder it was so evil.

The owl glared back.

"Oh, that sweet man."

Ginny whirled on her mother. " _What_? Sweet? Are you mad?"

Molly pocketed the letter, and Ginny was already plotting ways to sneak it away from her. "No, but I begin to worry for you, dear. This obsession isn't healthy."

"It's _not_ an obsession!"

Molly shook her head and moved towards the post room. "I think I'm going to owl that mind healer after all." 

"Mum!" Ginny stomped after her mother. "I don't need a bloody mind healer because I don't like someone."

"No, but the fact that the only reason you have to justify that dislike is a decade-old grudge and jealousy is concerning." Molly dug in the desk for parchment and a quill. "Ah. There we go."

"Mum. What did he even want? Are the kids okay?"

"Humph. You certainly weren't so concerned over their welfare the night before last."

"Mum!"

Molly dipped her quill and shooed her. "Off with you. He only gave me the address to his house in case anything goes wrong."

"But… shouldn't I know that?"

Molly gave her a flat look. "Given the way you treat him? Absolutely not. I will be warding this letter away from you, and don't think I don't know about George's trick spy supplies. Go on. I have a letter to write." She shook her head and blotted her quill on the pad. "More than one, I think."

Ginny scowled and stalked back to the floo. Stubborn fools, all of them. Well, they would see the truth soon enough.

She picked up her book again, but she spent more time fuming over the injustice of it all than reading. 

She remembered the task at hand and let her irritation go. Harry couldn't come back to a grumpy wife. 

It was only a matter of time.

* * *

Hugo and Rosie came to Severus' flat early the next morning, their parents, grandparents, and George in tow—after receiving permission and the address from Severus, of course. Molly came armed with a basket of a breakfast fit for an army of Weasleys and hugs and kisses for everyone, including a stunned Severus.

"Ron and Hermione told me how much you've changed and that you brought our dear Harry back from the brink again," she said with too-wet eyes. "Thank you. I can't bear to—" She glanced between George and the children. "Well, perhaps it's best not to mention that here, but thank you for bringing him home, Severus."

Jamie shared a bemused look with Hugo and Teddy. "But he's at Severus' house, Nana."

Molly's lips twitched. "Ah, so I see. My mistake. Would you like to help your nana set the table?" 

"Okay, Nana."

Molly followed Severus to the dining room and started setting out platters of steaming food. "Oh, Severus, I brought some of the currant scones you used to eat at the Order meetings." 

Severus paused partway through setting a platter of rashers down. "Ah. I hadn't thought anyone noticed. Thank you."

Harry squeezed her hand in thanks and helped her and the kids finish setting the table.

He kept his worries quiet through breakfast for the kids' sake, but once Arthur, Ron, and George took them out to play in the snow, Harry pulled Molly into the kitchen with Hermione and Severus.

"Mum, what's the story with Ginny? She said she would fix this situation with my inheritance, but we haven't heard a word from her since."

Molly gave him an uncertain smile. "Well, it _is_ the holidays. It's possible there is no one available to fix it at the time."

Hermione frowned. "That would be a problem for the goblins, primarily, and they don't celebrate human holidays."

Molly sighed and glanced to her husband.

"The truth is that Ginny has been haunting the floo since she came home," said Arthur. "We had hoped she had used some of the time she was there to straighten this mess out with Gringotts, but it seems as though she's just waiting. Probably to hear from you, Harry."

"Oh." Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "She—she's going to try to take them again, isn't she?"

Severus gave Harry a firm look. "If she does, she will fail. We will turn the ruling on her and reveal her irresponsibility and lies. She _will_ lose if she dares try it."

"But then the children will lose their mother."

"No. That is your decision. We will win if she attempts to steal the children again, but, as she is not abusing the children, whether she loses custody and visitation rights as a result is up to you and your barrister."

Harry shuddered. "I can't lose them again. I can't."

"We have no evidence yet that she will attempt to take them at all, pet, but if she does, know this." Severus took Harry's face in gentle hands. "We will not let her succeed. She will not rob you or your children of each other again. I swear it."

Harry smiled tentatively. "Yeah? You'll help me fight?"

"We all will," said Hermione.

"Yes, even Arthur and I." Molly sighed. "Much as I love her, the children are much happier with their father in their lives."

Harry hugged her with all his strength. "Thank you, Mum, and I'm sorry."

"Don't be, dear. You're as much my son as she is my daughter, and I can't stand to lose another son."

Harry wiped his eyes. "Y-yeah. You won't. I won't let you. We'll fight back as a family this time, yeah? The court _has_ to listen to that, right?"

"I sincerely hope there's no need." Hermione squeezed Harry's hand. "But if there is, we'll face it together."

Harry hugged her, too, and clung to the hope of her promise. Whatever happened with Ginny, at least he wouldn't have to endure it alone.

"Come on, Sev. Let's go play with the kids. We can sneak up on them and pelt everyone with snowballs at once."

Severus chuckled despite the worry in his eyes. "After you."

* * *

After the impromptu snowball fight, Jamie snuck off to a sheltered grove of evergreens on Severus' property, Teddy and Hugo in tow. He had second thoughts about this plan already, but his brother and cousin were set on it. Though he agreed that it was good to make sure Severus meant what he said, was this _really_ the only way? 

What if it _worked_? What if their stunts really made Severus mad and ran him off? Their dad would shatter all over again, and Jamie had the terrible feeling that, this time, there would be no fixing it.

Still, for his father's sake, he followed his family into the trees. Just in case.

Once they had gone far enough, Hugo brought them close and whispered, "How did stage one and two of the plan go?"

Teddy looked to Jamie. "Well, stage one went off… so much better than expected. Severus actually got me in art lessons. Didn't even get mad!"

Hugo gaped. "You really tried to make him angry?"

"I painted the man's books, Hugh. He's a bookworm like Aunt Hermione, and I painted them all."

" _Merlin_! Mum would have hung me out to dry." Hugo shuddered. "By my pants."

"Worse, probably," James said with a shiver.

"Yeah," said Teddy, "but not Severus. Dad was much more irritated about it than Severus, honestly."

Hugo whistled. "Wow. I can hardly believe it. What about you, Jamie?"

Jamie stared at his feet and gave a shuddering breath. "I can't."

"Can't?"

"I can't do it! I can't make him mad." Tears formed on his lashes. "He's been so good to us, and Dad is smiling and laughing again—I just can't."

"But how will we know if he'll stay this way unless we test it? Aunt Ginny sure changes when she gets mad."

"But he's not like her." Jamie covered his face. "Last night, I dreamed Mum left us in the desert and no one came to help. I was so scared, but when I woke up, he was there. He hugged me and talked to me and helped me get back to sleep. It's been so long since…." He covered a sob. "I _can't_."

Teddy grabbed him into a hug. "Shh. Hey, it's just to make sure he's real. For Dad's sake, you know? I can't see him break again, so we _have_ to be strong. Hugh, do what you do best. Jamie, maybe… just drop a plate at dinner and make a mess. Even Dad wouldn't get too mad about that."

"Mum would."

"I know, but I really think it's going to be okay, Jamie. Severus isn't acting like Mum, and we just want to protect Dad anyway. Will you help?"

Jamie sniffled and wiped his face. "I—I guess dropping a plate isn't _too_ awful." But he couldn't shake the feeling that they were going about this the wrong way. They wanted another dad, didn't they? Or maybe a papa since they had a dad already, but still. How would acting like berks make Severus want to stay?

"That's it," Hugo said with a smile. "We don't want to _hurt him_ , just make sure he won't hurt Uncle Harry."

"Y-yeah. I guess so."

But when dinner came around, and Jamie sensed the undercurrent of worry running through both men, he couldn't make himself drop the cranberry apple dessert he and Severus had worked so hard to make. He sat the dish on the table and avoided his cousin and brother's frowns.

Maybe he had let them down, but he couldn't make Severus more upset when it was clear something else was bothering him already. Instead, he ate his dinner in stoic silence and escaped to the safety of his bedroom after dessert. 

"I'm sorry," he muttered, and wiped his too-wet eyes before anyone noticed.

* * *

Severus watched their eldest boys leave the table with a frown. Jamie had said nothing and refused to look up the entire meal, and Hugo and Teddy had spent the entirety of it sharing confused looks and staring at Jamie.

"Hm." Severus leaned into Harry's side and whispered to his lover, "Should I speak to them, or would you prefer to handle it?"

Harry hesitated. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. They might be more likely to open up to you."

"Hm. Perhaps."

Severus went upstairs and knocked on the guest room door. Jamie and Al's room now, rather. He poked his head inside at the boy's call and found all three boys huddled on Jamie's bed.

"Would the three of you like to tell me what is troubling you?"

Jamie flinched and curled into his knees. Hugo looked away. Teddy dropped his head. All three refused to meet his eyes.

Hm. He knew quite well what _that_ meant.

And perhaps he understood why.

Severus sighed and dropped to crouch in front of the boys. "Children, do you understand that I have lived a very lonely, very painful life?"

Jamie sniffled and looked up. "Y-you did? Dad said you had to go through a lot in the war, but we don't really understand."

Severus closed his eyes and drew his left arm in close to his chest. "I was Albus' spy, pet. I had to pretend to be evil while in truth I was protecting as many as I could. There were many nights the dark lord—" 

He swallowed hard and let his head drop. How on earth did he explain _torture_ to children? 

No, Merlin, no. He would simply have to gloss _that_ over. 

"There were many nights I… suffered to bring back the information we needed to survive. I did this for twenty years, children, and for the seventeen years or so before that, I…." He took in a shaky breath. "My father… was not like your father. He was… very cruel. And I had no one but your grandmother to help me. No one at all after fifth year."

Jamie rushed into his arms and hugged him. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

Severus smoothed the boy's hair. "Pet, I do not say this to make you feel guilty. I am only trying to explain that, until your father came into my life again, until you came into my life, I had no one at all but for a handful of long-distance friends. You have given me happiness and hope I never had before." He kissed Jamie's head and squeezed Hugo's hand, then Teddy's. 

"You do not need to be afraid of losing me, little ones. You are all a dream come true for me."

Hugo and Teddy gasped. 

"A-a dream?" Hugo's usual snark had fallen to the wayside in lieu of shock and wonder. "Really?"

Severus lifted Jamie on the bed and gathered them all into a hug. "Yes. You are the dream I never believed would come true." He blinked hard and squeezed them tighter. "I-it would break me to lose you." His voice wobbled, but it was true. Already, these children had stolen his heart.

Teddy sniffled and pressed his head into Severus' shoulder. "Severus? I wish Mum was like you."

Severus smoothed his hair—a muted indigo hue at the moment—and wondered if Ginevra's poor behaviour hadn't inspired these fears, at least in part. It must have done, come to think of it. She was their aunt and mother, and she had hurt them all. How much remained to be seen. 

Severus held them tighter and vowed he would never give these boys reason to doubt his love. 

"I do too, pet." He stood and rubbed their shoulders. "Now, do you feel any better?"

They nodded, but Teddy and Hugo still didn't meet his eyes. Hm. Well, he _was_ rather new to this. Perhaps they only needed time to trust him. Harry might have better luck.

Severus patted their shoulders and left them to talk. He would send Harry in later, after they had time to calm down.

"Are they okay, love?"

Severus nodded and greeted his lover, who was standing at the base of the stairs, with a kiss to his cheek. "I suspect they are testing me. I am the new parent, and they are unsure if they can trust me." He frowned. "Where are Al and the girls?"

"Colouring in the kitchen."

"Ah." Severus took Harry's hand and led him towards the younger children. "This will work out in time. I am told most step-children test a new parent."

Harry froze. "Step-children?"

Severus swallowed hard and pressed his free hand to his hammering heart. "I-I meant in the sense that I am not their biological parent, nor an adoptive one yet, but rather a parent through my relationship to you. It was not intended to be—"

Harry kissed him lightly. "Yes. Whenever you're ready, yes."

Severus' breath stilled. He clutched Harry's hands, sure his knees wouldn't support him without that bracing touch. "Y-yes? You honestly want…?"

"Yes. Ask me now or ask me a year from now, and the answer will be the same. I've loved you my entire adult life. It won't ever change."

Severus grabbed Harry into a fiery kiss. "I love you, and I am so relieved, but I will ask you when I can do it properly."

"When is that?"

"When I have something to ask you with, to start." 

Severus stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. Lily had _tried_ to colour her paper, but, being four, she hadn't quite managed it. Nor had it held her interest for long, judging by the state of the tablecloth. And Rose and Al were too involved in their own drawings to notice her happily colouring the salt shaker a violent shade of pink. 

"Lily! Love, crayons go on the paper." Harry rushed to correct her, but Severus only chuckled and transferred her scribbles to a blank roll of parchment. Thank goodness the wax in crayons made it ideal for spell transfers.

"No harm done, love. This is quite lovely, Lily. Did you know your grandmother liked to colour, too? And her favourite colour was pink."

Lily gave him a gappy grin. "Weally? Can you tell me stories about gwandma Lily, Uncle Sev'us?"

Severus blinked. "Uncle?" 

"'Cause you're Daddy's boyfwiend. We have _loads_ of uncles."

Al, blushing crimson, rushed to say, "No! No, Dad's _brother_ would be an uncle. Like Uncle Ron."

"If Severus stays," said Rose with a smile, "he'll be _my_ uncle. Mine and Hugh's."

"Oh. Then what's he for us, Al?"

Harry kissed Severus' cheek. "Papa." He smiled at Severus' awestruck expression. "He'll be your papa when we make things official."

Lily's eyes went wide and filled with tears. "Oh _no_! No-no-no!"

She threw the crayons and ran from the table, crying and screaming. Severus' heart cracked, but he tried to bear it with grace. This was all so new to the kids. There were bound to be some bumps in the road. 

Still, hearing her deny him hurt like hell. He pressed a trembling hand to his face and forced himself steady for the sake of the other two, somehow. 

Harry rubbed Severus' back. "Hey, it's okay, love. Let me go talk to her. You stay here with Al and Rosie and let them cheer you up a bit, okay?"

Severus gave him a wan smile. "Thank you, love. I—I do want…."

"I know. She'll adjust." Harry winced at the sound of something shattering. "Uh, gotta—"

"Go on. I will be fine."

Harry nodded and dashed away after his daughter. Severus sighed and sat next to Al. 

"What were you colouring then?"

Al blushed and covered his paper with his hand. "It's not very good."

"I like mine." Rose showed him a drawing of six small stick people and two bigger people by a stylized house and with blue lines to indicate the ground. "It's us playing in the snow. I wanted to keep the memory, and now I can."

The ache in Severus' chest lightened a little. "Ah, what a lovely idea. Have you ever seen a pensieve, Rosie?"

"Nuh-uh. What's that?"

"A stone basin used to keep memories." Severus touched his wand to his temple and drew a stream of silver away. "They look like this outside of one's mind. You put this in the basin, and then you can live your memories all over again." He replaced the memory thread. "It's quite useful."

Rose whistled. " _Wow_! Do you have one, Severus?"

"I do. Would you like to test it later?"

"Yeah!"

"After your father returns, perhaps we shall have some fun with it." Now that he had at least a handful of memories that didn't hurt like the Dickens anyway. 

"I didn't make anything special like that," Al said with a sigh. "I didn't think of it."

Severus stroked the boy's hair. "That is nothing to be ashamed of, pet. Will you show me yours?"

Al fidgeted. "Okay, but don't laugh."

"Cross my heart."

Al pushed his picture towards Severus. He had filled a black circle at the bottom with green, and two stick figures stood on either side, both with black hair. Their heads were touching. A bunch of green scribbles at the top vaguely resembled leaves. 

"Ah. Is this your father and I?"

"Yeah. He's snoggin' you. Like at Christmas dinner. There's mistletoe, see?"

Severus wasn't entirely sure what to make of such a drawing from his lover's son, but, given that the boy had, probably, been hoping for a stable family one day, Severus let it go. Al was only six, after all. 

"That is very sweet, Al. Thank you."

Al relaxed and buried his head in Severus' shoulder. "I want you to be my papa. I really, really want you to be my papa. So you can't listen to Lily, okay? You have to stay. Please?"

Severus pulled him into his lap and hugged the little boy tightly. "There is nothing I want more."

"R-really? You want us?"

Rose scooted closer. "Us, too?"

Severus caught her into his hug, too. "All six of you. Yes. I want very much to be your papa, but we must give it a little more time, yes? Everyone needs to agree first, so for now, let us simply take things as they come, yes? I will not leave you either way."

Al gave him a wide smile. "Really? You'll stay forever and ever?"

"As long as I am welcome, little one."

"You're _always_ welcome."

"Hm." He could think of one person who wasn't thrilled with his presence. "I am glad to hear it. Now, would the two of you like to learn how to make a bubble potion?"

Al giggled. "We know how. It's just soap and water."

"That, child, is a _muggle_ bubble potion. My recipe is a bit different."

Al gave Rose a pleading look. Rose tilted her head and rubbed her chin.

"A bubble potion? Why is it special?"

Severus smirked. "That is a surprise."

She grinned. "Okay. We can make it, on one condition."

 _'Shades of her mother, this one.'_ He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"You have to play bubbles with us."

"You drive a hard bargain. I accept."

Rose grinned. "Wonderful!"

"Come then." Severus set Al down and summoned a kitchen cauldron. "Right. Now, all bubble potions _start_ with soap and water, but to make them stand out, they need a little something extra…."

* * *

Harry found the mess before he found his daughter. Lily had thrown what looked to be an antique set of crystal phials on the floor outside the bedrooms. The boys stared at the mess from their room, eyes wide. 

"Dad?" 

Harry waved Jamie's questions off. "She's just upset. It's all a bit confusing, you know, and she's just a little tot." 

He flicked his wand over the phials and prayed he could repair all those tiny fragments. They _looked_ well enough when he had finished, but Severus would know better than Harry. With a sigh, he sent the phials sailing back onto the wall, where he had noticed them hanging earlier.

The boys stood outside their door and watched, expressions full of worry and curiosity by turns. 

"What?"

Teddy watched the repaired phials settle into place. "Why's Lily so upset?"

Harry sighed. "She's upset with the idea that Severus might become her papa one day."

"She—she said that?" Teddy tried to blank his expression, but he was much too young to hide his worry and hope. "How did he take it?" 

Hm. That 'nonchalant' tone was fooling no one, but Harry let it slide. 

"It hurt him, of course. He wants very much to be a family. He's downstairs with Al and Rose now, if you want to talk to him about it."

Hugo flinched. "Uh, no, don't want to bother him."

He all but dragged Jamie into their bedroom. Teddy followed, frowning. Harry debated on the wisdom of sending in a Port-a-Pouty transmitter, but decided it wasn't necessary. He had a fair idea what those three were up to without help. 

With a shake of his head, he followed the sound of Lily's sniffles to the girls' bedroom.

"Lily, it's Daddy." He knocked softly. "May I come in and talk, love?"

Lily sobbed. "Daddy, I don't want a new papa!"

Harry picked her up, carried her to the bed, and sat her in his lap. "You don't like Severus? I thought you were getting on well."

"He's nice. He plays with us. Mummy doesn't play."

"Hm." So Ginny had neglected more than her children's relationship with their father. "Not at all, pet?"

"Well, sometimes."

"When?"

"When we go to the pawk or shoppin'. She plays a lot then."

Public places. Hm. He would have to ask the boys about this later. Lily couldn't answer detailed questions yet.

"Severus does like to play with you. Do you like anything else about him?"

"Uh-huh. He's pwetty."

Harry suppressed the desire to laugh. "Pretty? You think so too?"

"Yeah! He has weally pwetty hair."

Merlin, yes he did. 

"His eyes aren't too bad either, yeah?"

"They look like snowman eyes."

Harry hid a snort in a cough. "Excuse me. They are really dark, aren't they?"

"Yeah. And he's _tall_."

"Sure is. Anything else you like?"

"Yeah. He cooks weally good and he tells us stowies."

Harry nodded. "Like your daddy does, hm?"

"Yeah. I like his stowies better."

Well, they _were_ new. Harry nodded solemnly. "He does tell good stories." He frowned and rubbed a fingertip along his chin. "Does your mummy tell stories as good as Severus'?"

"She doesn't tell us stowies, Daddy. Nana and Gwanpa do."

"I see." He would definitely have _questions_ for Ginny later. "So you like Severus' cooking, he tells the best stories, you think he's handsome, and he plays with you. Why don't you want him to be your papa, Lily?"

"I have a papa!"

Harry squeezed her shoulders. "You have me, yes, but that doesn't mean…." _Oh._ So _that_ was her problem. "Lily, love, do you think Severus becoming your papa means you lose me?"

Lily sobbed and hugged him tight. "I don't want another papa! You're the best daddy ever."

Harry closed his eyes against a rush of pure love and a shard of pain straight to the heart. He held her until her tears quieted. "There now, baby. It's okay. Having Sev as a papa doesn't mean I have to leave, sweetie."

Lily sniffled and rubbed her face. "Uh-huh. 'Cause then he's our papa."

"And you can have two, love. A papa _and_ a daddy. For Sev to be your papa, it means we would be bonded—Severus and your daddy. It means we're a family _together_."

Lily's eyes widened. "We can have two papas?"

"You sure can. If your mum ever finds a new man to marry, you'll have three dads, and that's perfectly normal. Loads of kids have two fathers. A few even have _four_. And some have fathers who were once mothers, and some mothers who were once fathers, and some kids have parents who are both mother and father in one body, or even neither. Some kids have more than two parents in one household, or some might have one, and others might have none at all and be raised by their siblings or other relatives."

"Oh, wow. Weally?"

"Yes, love. There are all kinds of ways to be a family, love, and all of them are perfectly okay." 

"Oh."

"Yes. Now, do you feel better about Severus being your papa one day now that you know you won't lose your daddy?"

Lily nodded. "Loads." She sniffled and dropped her head. "I'm sowwy I bwoke the pwetty bottles."

"Hm. It's not good to break things when we get upset. You feel bad about it now, don't you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, Daddy fixed them—I hope—so no harm done. How about we go downstairs and you can tell Severus you're sorry for what you said and the bottles, yeah?"

"Okay." Lily rubbed her eyes and submitted to having her face cleaned and her hair straightened. "Daddy?"

"Hm?" Harry tucked her curls behind her ears and guided her up. 

"Are you gonna mawwy Sev'us?"

Harry's face burned. "Uh, not yet, love. We just started out, and it takes time for couples to be ready for that, especially when there are kids to consider." He gave her a shy smile. "But I hope so."

Lily giggled. "You're all wed, Daddy!"

Harry chuckled and led his daughter downstairs. 

* * *

Lily's innocent question, carried through a Port-a-Pouty transmitter attached to the girls' door frame, made all three of the older boys gasp. Teddy scooted in closer, hanging on Harry's every word.

_"Not yet… but I hope so."_

"Merlin," Jamie breathed. "This is serious. Dad already wants to bond to him?"

Teddy gave his brother and cousin a grim look. "We've got to up our game. We can't let Dad be hurt. Hugo, how fast can you work?"

"Depends on him. If he's around…."

Teddy nodded. "We'll run a distraction then, or you can just wait until he's asleep. Jamie, you can't chicken out again. We _need_ to know."

Jamie crossed his arms over his chest. "I know, but…."

"But what? Don't you want Dad to be happy?"

Jamie shot him a glare. "Of _course_ I do."

Hugo nudged Jamie's arm. "Then what's the problem?"

"I just—I think there has to be a better way. Dad and Severus are already upset. I don't want to make it worse."

"But that's what we _need_ ," Teddy argued. "We need to see Severus upset. We need to know he won't turn on us all like Mum did."

"I…." Jamie sniffled. "It feels wrong."

"I know, but we're doing this to protect our family, Jamie. For Al, Rosie, and Lily, too."

"Al will be really hurt if things go bad again. I don't want to see him suffer."

"Al loves Severus though. Breaking them up will hurt him."

"It's gonna be worse if they get bonded and then everything goes tits up," Hugo said with a grim expression. "A lot worse."

Jamie flinched. "I—yeah. I reckon you're right."

"Good." Teddy whispered to the others, "Then this is what we're gonna do…."

* * *

Severus tucked the boys in and smoothed their hair. For all that he knew those three had trouble brewing, he couldn't help but love these little ones. Merlin, what he wouldn't give to be a real family one day. Harry had given him hope that evening, so perhaps this dream might truly be within his reach.

_"She's going to try to take them again, isn't she?"_

Severus' fist clenched at his side. Her behaviour at Christmas dinner had raised his suspicions, but her lack of progress on the inheritance situation and what Molly and Arthur had told them about her behaviour at the Burrow—that was more than a little troubling.

Well, let the bint try it. He had a damn good reputation these days, and Harry's still held weight. It would hold more when his entire family—and _hers_ —rallied around him to challenge her. 

Like hell would Severus let that chit steal his family away. He had just found them.

"Goodnight, boys. I will see you in the morning."

The boys returned the greeting, though their tones held an edge of uncertainty and nervous tension. Merlin. He hoped they weren't planning something _tonight_. They all needed rest, and Severus needed to have a talk with his lover out of hearing of the children. 

With a sigh, he pulled the door to, leaving it cracked, and headed to his own bedroom. Harry was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, and Severus wished he knew how to help him. He sat beside his lover and hauled him right into his lap. 

"Ah! Merlin." Harry gave a wan chuckle. "I want a sane ex-wife for my present this year, Papa Christmas. I've been a very good boy, too. Think you can manage it?"

Severus snorted. "In nearly twelve months? Who knows what may happen."

Harry flinched. "Yeah."

"You are worried."

"Not just that. I couldn't tell you about it until now, and I never got the chance to ask the boys about it before bedtime, but Lily said things that concerned me, love. I don't think Ginny is taking care of the kids like she ought to be."

Severus' eyes narrowed. "She is neglecting the children?"

"It seems that way."

"What did Lily tell you?"

Harry shook his head. "Keep in mind that she's four. It could be that she wants Ginny's undivided attention all the time, or she might be 'embellishing' a bit, but I get the sense that she isn't. That said, she told me that Ginny doesn't tell them stories or play with them unless she's in public."

"Where those with a mind to talk about it can see, in other words."

"Exactly."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "I think Lily is too young to have made the connections that implies on her own."

"Yeah. That's what I thought, too. Smart as she is, that's too much for a preschooler."

"Indeed. So, this means, unless Lily was using hyperbole, Ginevra _is_ neglecting them and consciously manipulating the situation to give the impression that she is not."

"Explains why she's so stuck on the old goat."

"Hm. It is rather more conniving than I had thought to see from her."

"Don't underestimate her. She grew up with the twins."

"There is a missort if ever there was one. Those two had more cunning than all of my house combined." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "So we have quite the problem on our hands then. You have the better grasp of her character. Do you have any insight into her likely plans?"

Harry let out a rush of breath. "Well, we start with what facts we know—basic investigation procedure, you know. So she's haunting the floo. She hasn't corrected the inheritance situation—or even looked into it by all accounts. She's keeping tabs on you and is utterly unwilling to consider you as a worthy person, which we know stems from jealousy. And she is, somehow, still attached to the idea that she can win—or force—me back."

"That is why she has not returned your inheritance then. She believes it unnecessary as she is fixated on bringing you back, willingly or otherwise."

"Or she intends to hold it over my head."

"It will do her no good as we have already made plans to make a fortune of our own."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that and would deny it if she did."

Severus rubbed Harry's back. "True. So she is potentially keeping it back as a weapon. The situation with my owl and the floo is, I think, rather obvious as well. She believes me to be the worst of foes and imagines the masks I wore as a spy comprise my true personality. Therefore, she believes I will 'snap' at any moment, and that will send you falling back into her arms in a fit of remorse."

Harry's jaw dropped. "But that's mad. Even if you _did_ snap—and any idiot can see how good you are with the kids—I'm bloody well _gay_. Even if she hadn't been a total bint the past five years, I wouldn't go back to her."

"None of the traits we have discussed are those of a sane person."

"True. Merlin." Harry rubbed his forehead. "Do you really think she's unbalanced?"

"Fixating her entire life around a single person is unhealthy. And, frankly, disturbing."

Harry shuddered. "Definitely." He slumped into Severus' chest. "I have the feeling I need to contest the custody arrangement. Let's talk to the kids in the morning and get an idea of how far this goes."

"A wise plan." Severus kissed him tenderly. "Do you want me to ease your mind?"

Harry glanced to the door. "I'm not sure it's a good idea tonight, love."

"Hm. Perhaps you are right. Well, then rest beside me, and we will get what sleep we can before the next catastrophe begins."

"Yeah."

* * *

Hugo smacked the button on his personal magi-alarm—one of George's more practical inventions—and rubbed his eyes. The alarm wouldn't disturb anyone else, so he felt confident to slip out of his warm bed and make his way down the darkened hallway. 

Faint snores from his uncle's room reassured him that no one would discover his plans before he put them in motion. Good. Teddy wanted him to really ramp up the chaos and get Severus upset. Hugo had thought the books would do it, but as that had failed, he could only think of one thing to do that would get under Severus' skin—destroy his lab. 'Accidentally,' of course. 

He gripped the squishy ball in his pocket just hard enough to reassure himself of its presence. He didn't want that thing to burst on _him_ , after all. At least not until he was in position. Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes made many prank supplies suitable for young troublemakers seeking to cause a little mayhem, and the Silly-Stringaganza Bomb would do the trick tonight, so long as he didn't detonate it too early. 

He had to be careful about it, though. His mum's warning about mixing potions had stuck, and he had no desire to really _destroy_ the lab. A little chaos would be enough to upset Severus, surely, and without endangering anyone. 

He padded down to the basement and tested the lab door. Bollocks. Locked. Thank Merlin he had come prepared. Mum had said only to use his skeleton key for emergencies, but this was a serious situation! They had to know the truth about Severus, and if Hugo had to endure a tongue-lashing or twelve for testing him, then so be it. 

Uncle Harry and his cousins were worth it.

He took a deep breath, pulled a chain with a tiny bone-shaped pendant from under his pyjamas, and pressed the pendant to the door. Purple and silver light rushed around his hand, the door warmed and vibrated, and then….

 _Click_!

"Yes!"

Hugo nudged the door open, tiptoed into the room, and dug a Lumos Orb—another invention from Uncle George's practical line—from his pocket. The small, magic ball made Hugo's hand glow with bright golden light, and he waved it slowly around, searching for the best place to set off his bomb. 

Yes, there, by the storage cupboard. Everything in there would be sealed in phials, so his bomb wouldn't actually hurt anything, but cleaning it up would be a right pain in the arse. That should do it.

He made his way to the cupboard, all his attention focused on finishing his task before he got caught, but he banged his shin on a cauldron. 

_CLANG_! 

"Ow!" Hugo dropped his Lumos Orb and steadied the cauldron before it fell over and made even more noise. Merlin. There was no way that hadn't woken a former spy. He had better hurry.

Without his orb, he couldn't see the cabinet, but he remembered which way to go. Cautiously, he picked his way around the cauldron.

"Who is there?"

Oh no. Severus!

Hugo jerked out his silly string bomb and prepared to squeeze just as the door swung open. The light of Severus' wand illuminated his face, and, just as his fingers clenched on the bomb, a lightning-fast blast of violet light hit Hugo directly in the chest. 

A curse! Severus had cursed him!

Violent pink and green strings erupted everywhere, covering Hugo and Severus alike, but all for nothing now. Severus had shown his true colours at last, and it was worse than any of them could gave guessed.

Hugo covered his face and whimpered, brokenhearted and afraid of the pain that would surely come any second.

* * *

Severus watched little fingers squeeze around a tutti-fruity-coloured ball, and his heart slammed into his throat. Oh god. One of those wretched silly string bombs. If that hit the cauldron—the cauldron full of tomorrow's base for Sunrise Brew—the entire lab would go down in flames. And Hugo…. 

_'Protego Maxima!'_

With his nonverbal cast—no time to waste on incantations—bright violet light crashed into the boy and shielded Hugo and the cauldrons behind him, and not an instant too soon. The bomb sent a mass of silly string everywhere the shield didn't cover, meaning the lab entrance and Severus himself caught the brunt of it. A blast of the disgusting rubbish smacked him right in the face. He was a right mess, and his lab looked even worse, but thank Merlin, the base hadn't been compromised. Hugo was safe.

And in serious trouble.

"Hugo Weasley! Come out of there this _instant_!"

Hugo sobbed, "I knew it! I knew it was too good to be true!"

Severus huffed and picked the protesting child up. "Get _away_ from there, boy! That lab was locked for a reason. Do you have any idea what would have happened to you had I not set an alarm on the door?"

"A-alarm?" Hugo winced. "I didn't hear—"

"Yes, because in the event that someone was actually foolish enough to break into my lab, I wanted time to prevent a catastrophe, which you have damn near brought about despite my precautions!" Severus' voice broke, and he held the boy close, silly string and all. "Foolish, foolish child. All this just to test me? Gods, I almost lost you."

The adrenaline crash hit him then, and he sank to his knees with a crying Hugo in his arms.

"Never, never do that again, child."

Hugo struggled against him. "Let me go! I won't let you curse me again!"

" _Curse_ you?" Severus set him on his feet. "Child. That was a sh—"

Harry burst in, wand out and eyes hard. "What happ…." He trailed off at the sight of Hugo and Severus standing at odds, both covered in silly string and tears. "Dear Merlin!"

Hugo barrelled into Harry's legs. "Uncle Harry! I was in the lab and my silly-string bomb blew up, and Severus got mad and cursed me!"

Severus went rigid. He gripped his wand and prayed Harry listened to reason before his protective instincts kicked in. "H-Harry, it was not—"

"Cursed you? _Here_?" Harry set Hugo back and gave the boy a sharp look. "Severus would _never_ cast a curse in his lab. We would be a crater in the ground if he had done, and what on earth were you doing in there alone in the first place? It's _off-limits_!"

Severus slumped against the wall with a shuddering sigh. Oh, thank Merlin. He wiped his face and covered his eyes. Gods. His entire life, he had suffered undue suspicion. Every time there had been a question of guilt, he bore the burden of accusation. And Harry had known the truth without even the need for an explanation. Merlin. 

"Sev, love, come here."

Severus hesitated. Maybe Harry _hadn't_ forgiven him.

"Harry, please. It was a shield."

Hugo gasped. "But…."

Harry waved him down. "I know, Sev. I've seen you in class enough to know how quick your wand is in an emergency."

Severus gave him a shaky nod and moved to Harry's side. Harry scooped him into his arms and kissed his cheek. 

"All this suspicion is wearing you down, yeah?" He brushed the leftover string from Severus' hair and face. "God, thank you." A fierce kiss branded his lips, and Severus melted into him. "You saved his life—probably all of our lives."

Severus shuddered. "Indeed. Had that string hit my cauldrons, the explosion would have killed Hugo, and probably me as well."

Hugo froze and made a sound of horror. "W-what? But I only popped it near the cupboard! All the phials were sealed!"

"The cauldrons weren't," Harry said, tone sharp. "Severus made a base for Sunrise Brew yesterday, and it was priming overnight in his cauldrons. The same ones you nearly blasted to smithereens all for a silly _test_."

Hugo flushed and shifted his feet. "Um… test?"

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about, young man. Upstairs, right now. March your bum to the living room. Your parents are going to hear _every detail_ of this."

Hugo sobbed and bolted upstairs.

Harry watched him go. "Merlin." With a sigh, he turned and cupped Severus' face. "Are you okay, love?"

Severus rested his head against Harry's. "For an instant, I feared…."

"I know. You've been hurt too much." Harry pressed soft kisses to his lips, his nose, and his forehead. "I trust you. More than I've ever trusted anyone except probably Ron and Hermione, and you're right there with them. It's okay." After one last peck, he stepped back and gave an annoyed huff. "We had better go before the boys do anything else catastrophic."

Severus nodded and led Harry upstairs. 

* * *

A frantic knock woke Jamie from a sound sleep. He bolted up, heart hammering and head fuzzy. "W-what?"

"Get up!" Hugo dashed in, covered in silly string and crying hard. "Oh, I think I ruined it!"

Jamie's heart crashed into his feet and his stomach froze over. "What? How?"

Teddy grabbed Hugo's arm and dragged him to the beds. "Merlin. What happened?"

"I b-blew up a silly string ball in Severus' lab."

"You _what_? Hugh…."

"I _know_! I thought it would be okay if I did it near the cupboard, because all the potions are sealed, but there was a base in the cauldrons, and—"

" _What_? Oh god, did it explode?"

"E-explode?" With a strangled cry, Jamie bolted up and ran for the staircase. "Dad! Severus!" His pulse clanged in his ears. Oh no, oh _no_! They couldn't be…. "Severus! Dad!"

He dashed towards the lab, tears half blinding him. They _had_ to be okay. They couldn't be—he couldn't bear to lose his father all over again. " _Daaad_!"

"Jamie?" Harry ran to him and grabbed him up right on the stairs. "Merlin, love. What has you so terrified?" 

"Jamie?" Severus rushed to stand beside him, covered in bits of pink and green but otherwise unharmed. "Shh. It is all right. We are here, child."

"Dad, Severus, you're _okay_!" Jamie broke down in Harry's arms, and Harry rocked him against his chest. 

"Shh. It's all right now."

Another gentle hand fell upon Jamie's hair. "There now, love. Hush. We are well."

Jamie sobbed, "Please, please don't go, Severus! I'm sorry! We just wanted Dad to be okay."

Harry stiffened. "Me? Merlin, all these tests for Severus are because of _me_?"

Rose called in a sleepy voice, "Uncle Harry? Wha's goin' on?"

Harry hesitated. "Nothing we can't fix, sweetie. You can go back to sleep. Sorry we woke you up."

"Okay, but Lily's upset."

Harry passed Jamie into Severus' arms. "Talk to him. I'll handle the girls and drag Hugo out. By his ears if necessary."

Severus sighed. "Harry, try not to be too hard on him. It was a dangerous stunt, yes, but I have already reprimanded him harshly, and he did not intend it to be—well, this."

"Intentional or not, he knew full well that room was off-limits and why." 

Severus nodded, expression pained. "It was for me. I…."

Harry kissed his forehead. "It isn't your fault. Go take care of Jamie. Teddy, get your bum down here, too. Don't think I don't know you were involved in this. And, Hugo, I told you to wait _in the living room_." He stalked upstairs, and Severus turned towards the living room with a sigh. 

"Merlin, what a mess."

Jamie sniffled and buried his head in Severus' shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Severus kissed the boy's hair and carried him downstairs.

* * *

By sunrise, the entire family had gathered in the living room. Not surprising, given the volume of Hermione's shrieks. Severus had sealed Lily in a silencing bubble when she had started nodding off an hour before, and she had passed out on the sofa, but everyone else was wide awake.

Awake and on edge. Severus was half-tempted to conjure earplugs for all those present save the three little culprits. Jamie hadn't cracked yet, the loyal little soul, but Severus knew full well he hadn't gone along with this plot willingly. For all he carried the name of two bullies and troublemakers, that boy was much too shy and sensitive to risk hurting someone. 

Hm. That might explain the little fiasco at dinner last night. If they had wanted Jamie to pull a trick, and he hadn't followed through….

Yes, that definitely explained it. The study, too. Severus had wondered how Teddy managed to get paint _everywhere_ before he noticed a problem, but, apparently, that had been the point of the whole affair.

Hermione wrapped up her rant with, "I have half a mind to drag you home and keep you in your room for an entire _month_ for this rubbish!"

Severus laid a hand on her shoulder. "If you are amenable, Hermione, I would prefer that he stay. We, apparently, have much to discuss."

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. "He should be punished."

"He has been. Look at him."

Hugo had crawled into the corner. He was sobbing into his knees and whispering apologies on every breath. Merlin. 

Hermione's expression shifted to guilt and worry. "I… don't know what to do. It was so dangerous. He might have killed you all."

Hugo whimpered and curled up tighter. 

"That guilt will stay with him for a long, long time," Severus said in a voice heavy with experience. "Trust me when I say it is punishment enough."

Hermione sighed. "Perhaps you're right." She shot Hugo a sharp look. "But one more 'test,' young man, and you'll be shipped back home faster than you can blink."

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't want to hurt anybody! I just—just wanted Uncle Harry to be okay. And I don't want Al and Jamie and Lily to lose another parent! I just…." He broke down into miserable tears, and Severus pulled him up into his arms.

"Shh. It's all right now." He held Hugo's head against his shoulder and carried him to the sofa. "I will take care of him. I think we need to talk regardless."

"All right, but…." Ron dragged them both into a hug streaked with tears. "Thank you, Severus. God, thank you."

Severus hugged him with the arm not holding Hugo. "I am relieved as well. I was quite sharp with him, but, Merlin, I have rarely been so terrified as I was when I opened that door tonight."

Ron leaned back and wiped his face. "I'm so damn glad you warded this place so well. If you weren't such a cautious man…."

Severus shuddered. "I do not want to think of it."

"Yeah." Ron rubbed Hugo's hair. "Hey. We still love you, baby. That's why your mum is so mad. We love you so much, and we almost l-lost you tonight." He covered his mouth with his fist. "N-never, ever do this to us again, Hugh. Please."

Hugo sobbed and covered his face. "I promise. I'm so sorry, Dad. I thought it was safe. I just meant to make a mess, not hurt anybody."

Ron kissed his forehead. "We know, love, but you're too little to be in the lab without an adult regardless."

"I won't go in there again."

"Good boy." Ron straightened up and watched his son for a moment, one knuckle pressed against his teeth. Hermione curled into his arms, tears glistening on her cheeks.

Severus gave them a look full of understanding. "Would the two of you like to stay for breakfast, and for the day if you are not busy?" 

Hermione smiled through tears. "We have to work, but breakfast sounds lovely. Assuming we're not all too upset to eat."

"Hm." Severus flicked his wrist, and several phials of calming draught floated to him. He plucked one out of the air and passed it to Hermione, then Ron, then helped Hugo take one. Once everyone had had a dose, he motioned for the sniffling, shame-faced boys to sit beside him.

"Now, I understand that young children will test their parents' partners at the start, but destroying my lab seems quite extreme. Why did you choose such a dangerous route to test me?"

"I-I was trying to make you angry," Hugo choked out. "You didn't get mad over the books, and you didn't get upset when Lily broke your potion phials, so the only thing I could think of was your potions."

Severus rubbed the boy's hair. "I did get angry."

"Yeah, you were furious, but…."

"Yes?"

"You were furious over _me_. Not the potions. Me."

"Potions are replaceable. You are not."

Hugo gave a little hiccup. "Y-yeah."

"Why on earth did you want to make me angry, pet?"

Teddy answered in a broken tone. "Because—because we were afraid you would _change_."

Severus frowned. "Change?"

"Like…."

"Ginny." Harry sighed and sat by Teddy. "That's what all this is about. You don't want Severus to change like Ginny did?"

The boys nodded. 

"Merlin," said Ron with a frown. "Change? Boys, what do you mean?"

"She stopped caring." Jamie drew his knees to his chest. "She stopped loving us after she took Dad away from us."

"Oh, Merlin," Hermione breathed. "What do you mean by that, love?" Her expression turned grim. "Has she been neglecting you?"

The children shared uncertain looks.

"Lily mentioned that she doesn't tell you stories anymore," Harry prompted. "And that she only plays with you in public places. Is that true?"

The boys nodded.

"I see. What else has changed?"

"She doesn't help us with homework anymore," said Jamie. 

"She doesn't bring home treats anymore either," said Al. 

"It's like she stopped being a mum when you left, Dad," said Teddy. "She's more like a big sister, I reckon. Nana and Grandpa do most of the mum stuff now."

Harry forced his voice not to show the blaze of fury building inside. "So she essentially handed you off to your grandparents to raise?"

The boys hesitated. 

"I…." Teddy stared at his knees. "I don't think it's that bad yet. She still cares about us, but…."

"It's not the same."

"No," said Jamie. "It's not as much."

"I see." Harry rubbed his forehead. "Merlin. I'm sorry, kids. I didn't realise she hasn't been there like she ought to be."

Teddy sniffled. "How could you do when she kicked you out of our lives? Well, you still saw me, but…."

"Yeah." Harry shook his head. "I should have seen it sooner."

"It's not been that long. She only got really bad after she kicked you out full time, Dad."

"Hm. When Harry was not present to observe her behaviour, you mean," said Severus.

Hugo gave a bitter snort. "Knew you were an intelligent sort."

Severus rubbed his hair. "Hm. Well, this has all been very enlightening, children. Thank you for speaking so honestly with us." He held Hugo's chin. "No more tests. I am not the type of man to change without many years of hard effort behind it. I am devoted to you. Do you understand that now?"

"You got angry over Hugo," said Teddy with a sniffle. "You didn't even care about the lab. You just wanted to make sure he was safe."

Severus motioned him on. 

"Well, I reckon that's all we really needed to know."

"I have one more test," Jamie murmured. "Not a mean one though."

Severus gave him a wary look. "Yes?"

Jamie bit his lip. "I'm glad you're okay, Papa."

Severus' breath hitched. "Oh." He covered his face and took an unsteady breath. "P-papa? Me?"

"Yeah. Can I call you that?"

" _May I_ , child." Severus grabbed him into a tight hug. "And I would love for you to call me Papa."

Harry rubbed Severus' back and smiled, his heart overflowing despite the stressful night. 

Jamie leaned back with wet eyes. "He passed."

Hugo gave a tearful snort. "I guess we're calling you Uncle Severus now then?"

Severus blinked hard and hugged Hugo tighter. "I would be glad to hear it." Tears ran down his face, and he covered his eyes with a shaking hand. "F-forgive me."

Merlin, the poor man was completely overcome. Harry pulled him into his arms and rubbed his hair. "Kids, go get washed up and ready for breakfast. Severus needs a minute." 

"Yes, Dad." Al moved to wake Lily, but Harry stopped him. "She's fine, son. We'll take care of her when you older kids are done in the bathrooms."

"Oh. Okay." Al kissed Severus' wet cheek. "I'm so happy you're my papa. I've been asking the sun god for it every night since you taught us about him. He must be a nice god, because he already answered my prayer."

Severus gave a choked-off gasp and crushed him into his arms. It was several long moments before he could make himself let go.

* * *

Once the children left, Harry tugged Severus into his lap and motioned his friends closer. Ron and Hermione sat on the sofa opposite, expressions as grim as Harry felt. 

"So Ginny's neglecting the kids and scheming against Severus and me."

"Scheming?" Ron narrowed his eyes. "The floo thing."

"Yeah. And the inheritance. She thinks this is all going to blow up and I'll come running back to her."

Ron whistled under his breath. "Merlin." 

"Yeah. So what do we do?"

Severus took Harry's hand. "I think we are overdue for a talk with her. She needs to understand that Harry and I are committed to one another."

Harry squeezed Severus' fingers. "Sev, love, I don't think any amount of talking is going to get it through her head. From all Hermione and Ron have told us, the entire DA dragged her arse on Christmas Eve, and she's still in denial. If that didn't get through to her, I don't know what will."

Ron sighed and rubbed his forehead. "The problem is she's idolised you her entire life. I reckon she might have grown out of it if you two hadn't met so soon after her fancy took root, but you were her brother's best friend, then her housemate, then you saved her from a basilisk, and it just gets worse from there. This infatuation—she's carried it for damn near twenty years now. She's built her entire life around it. I was really hoping our intervention would break its hold, but since that didn't, I dunno, mate. It's going to take more than a talk."

"Yeah, but _what_? What are we supposed to do to get it through to her?"

"If you could prove your commitment, maybe," Hermione began.

"I already snogged the daylights out of him right in front of her."

"That's proof of _interest_ , not commitment," said Ron. "I snogged Lavender, remember?"

"Unfortunately." Harry grimaced at both the memory of that unpleasant year and Lavender's death. "Merlin. I wish she had pulled through, much as she drove me spare."

Severus wrapped his arm around Harry and pulled him closer. Ron did the same for his wife. 

"So what am I supposed to do about Sev though? How do I prove we're committed to someone who won't believe a word we say?"

Severus tilted his head. "Hm. I may have a solution."

Harry turned to him with a frown. "Yeah?"

"It will need to wait a while. Give me a day or two."

"Oh. Well, okay, I guess." Harry shook his head and turned back to his friends. "So let's say Sev's plan, whatever it is, works and she gets it. What then? She's going to be furious, and probably not so inclined to return my inheritance. And there's still the issue of her behaviour with the kids."

"Harry, are you an auror or not?" Hermione huffed. "You know damn well all the legal reasons in support of the ruling against you vanished when she rescinded the restraining order and returned joint custody to you. If she doesn't give your inheritance back, _make her_. Go to Kingsley for help. Arrest her. Send someone else to do it if you can't manage, but, sweet Morgana, man, do _something_. Dig your bollocks out of your arse and stand up for yourself!"

Harry choked. "Well, there's a visual I could do without."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry. You know I'm right. You've let her roll you over for much too long."

Harry ruffled his hair. "It's not that. I just didn't want the kids to lose their mum, but I didn't know about these changes back then either." He slumped against the sofa and sighed. "All right. We'll try to talk to her. And if that doesn't work, then… I'll ask King to help me fast-track the case."

"Thank Merlin," said Ron and Hermione at once.

* * *

After breakfast, Severus mixed the potion into his base and decanted it for travel. Once he had all three-hundred phials packed into medical-grade crates, he placed them into an expandable, featherlight travel bag and sealed it into the flap of his vest. Careful wards ensured its contents would neither shift nor break, and, thus prepared, Severus made his way to the kitchen, where Harry was serving lunch.

"Here you go, love. Tuna and rye and crisps work for today? We're having sandwiches, and _somehow_ , that's the only variety left."

Severus snorted. "As it happens, I am rather a fan of tuna." He took his plate with a kiss for his lover. "Harry, will you be well with the children for an hour or two? I must take these potions to St. Mungo's, and I must run several errands while I am out."

Harry sat beside Severus with his own plate in hand and a smile. "Sure. We'll go for a romp in the yard and carry on our studies for a bit.

"Hm. Seems Hermione rubbed off on your brood."

Harry laughed. "True, but it's not all schoolwork. We also do artwork and play instruments, some of us, and dance."

Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"Well, not me."

Severus chuckled. "I see. Should I teach you?"

Harry blinked. "Teach me what?"

"All of it."

Harry's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait. Are you telling me that not only are you a brilliant potions master, defence master, strategist, and intelligence agent, but you can also—"

"Scientific art for potions creation, dance is quite good for improving one's ability to fight, and everyone needs a hobby. Mine happens to be… hah. You will never believe me."

Harry grinned. "Try me."

Severus snorted. "Tonight, perhaps. What skills do you study besides your classwork, children?"

"I play guitar," said Jamie.

"Hm. Acoustic or magi-electric?"

"Uh, both? I like magi-electric better though."

"They have more versatility. Wise man."

Jamie grinned. "Yeah, that's why. And it sounds wicked with the amp."

Severus chuckled. "And the rest of you? Teddy, I assume you paint?"

"I did, until Mum got upset about it." 

Harry's jaw clenched. "Well, under this roof, you study what you want."

Teddy grinned. "All right."

"I dance, Papa," said Lily. "I wanna be a ballelina. Can I see you dance?"

"Eat your lunch first. And I must leave the house for a few hours afterwards, but I will dance with you tonight before your bedtime."

Lily pouted. "I wanna dance now."

"But it will be rushed if we do, since I am in a hurry. Wouldn't it be better to wait until I have more time?"

Lily considered and gave in with a nod. 

"Thank you." 

"Welcome!"

"Hugo and Rosie are learning, too, Severus," Harry said. "Rosie is learning to knit and sew from her nana and Hugo to cook."

"Well, _someone_ has to make sure Dad doesn't poison us all," Hugo muttered with red cheeks.

Severus snorted.

"And they're all doing very well," Harry finished with a chuckle.

"Well done, children," Severus said. "I would like to see your progress tonight and help where I can. And after that, I think we should camp out and sleep under the stars."

Al shivered. "Brr. It's so cold though!"

Severus chuckled. "We will use warming charms and insulate the ground. Along with a bonfire, we will all be quite comfortable."

"That sounds lovely," said Harry. "We never did get to stargaze."

"That was partly why I suggested it."

"Partly?"

Severus barely suppressed a blush. "You will find out tonight."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Have a surprise planned?"

"I do. I hope."

Harry chuckled. "I won't pry and ruin it. Can't promise anything where these little brats are concerned though."

Lily giggled. "Daddy said bwat!"

"That he did." Severus chuckled and set into his sandwich.

* * *

After a busy day, Severus lit a bonfire outside and set up a wizarding tent behind it. Albus had given it to him long ago, but as Severus had changed the décor as soon as it entered his possession, he doubted Harry would know. It would do, at any rate, for a night under the stars.

The kids sat around the fire and roasted marshmallows. Sticky fingers and faces abounded. The adults watched in amusement and kept Lily from stepping too close to the flames. 

After their treat, Severus cleaned everyone up and gave Jamie a wry grin. "Have you been learning on a children's guitar or a full-size?"

"Full-size, but Dad shrunk the neck a bit so my hand can reach all the frets."

"Hm. That will work for mine as well, I suppose." He summoned his two favourites and passed one, magically-altered to fit his smaller hands without changing the tuning, to Jamie. A couple of magic-powered apps followed and landed at their feet. "There we are. Shall we play a bit?"

"Oh dear god," Harry said, eyes glowing in the firelight. "Yes, Merlin, _yes_."

Severus' face burned. "I've only ever played for Lily—your grandmother and great aunt, children. So this will be… new."

Jamie grinned. "I'll do rhythm since I'm learning. Can I pick the song?"

"Of course."

"Hm. I wanna do Feelin' Good."

Severus paused. "Nina Simone?"

"Muse," Harry clarified.

" _Oh_. Of course. Hah. Very well, but someone else will have to sing it. That is quite a bit out of my range."

"You sing too? _Merlin_." Harry gave him a look that clearly said Severus would have already been pounced and nailed to the nearest tree had they not been surrounded by children. 

Severus smirked. "I have been told my voice is rather pleasant."

"Uh-huh. Well, as it happens, that's one talent I share. Well, to some extent. And I can take the melody."

" _Can_ you?" Severus grinned. "Let me hear it, songbird." He checked his tuning and Jamie's, nodded, and shook himself out a little. "Right. Ready, Jamie?"

"Yeah!"

Severus started the opening riff and watched Harry come in with a smooth tenor he never would have guessed lay hidden under the surface. Jamie did well with the rhythm lines, too, and Severus let the music carry him away. At least until the tone shifted to heavy rock and the kids shrieked in delight and started singing along. 

He chuckled and played through the song and two others on request.

Teddy asked, "Can you play Dragonforce?"

Severus groaned. "Not if you expect me to have fingers when I am finished."

Harry chuckled. "Let Sev rest his hands, kiddos. You put him through his paces."

Severus glared. "That… was three songs."

Harry grinned. "Well, I can _sing_ Dragonforce."

"Oh no. No, I have not gone so mad as all that yet. And the singing is the _easy_ part! Where Dragonforce is concerned at any rate."

"Hm. Somebody to Love?"

Severus swallowed hard. "You… can sing like _Mercury_?"

Harry chuckled sheepishly. "Well, I can follow it anyway. Not well enough to be famous for my voice, to be sure."

Severus' body surged. "Do it. Right now." He gave Harry his opening note and watched him with fiery eyes. 

He had _definitely_ made the right choice. 

He came in with the guitar and picked up the choir's melody in a lower octave. Harry gave him an electric smile even as he soared through registers that melted Severus' core. _Merlin_. By the end of the song, they stood close, singing to each other while the kids looked on in wonder. 

_"Can anybody find me somebody to love?"_

"I think I have found him," Severus murmured in reply to the ending line. 

Now was as good a time as any. With the music and starlight and the fire, he couldn't imagine a better moment. 

He dropped to his knees and took Harry's hands. "Harry, I love you. I love your children. I want to stay like this, to be your love." He took a shaky breath and removed the black velvet box from his pocket, and the older kids gasped and squealed. "It is… probably not what you are imagining, but the goal is the same."

Harry took the box with shaking hands. "Sev, really?" He clicked the lid open, and Severus dropped his head, terrified to see Harry's face.

"Severus, oh, they're beautiful. These are courtship bracelets, right?"

Severus nodded. "It is, essentially, the same as a promise ring, but with the freedom to refuse me at the end of our courtship without breaking faith, if you choose to. We are engaged at the end of the courtship rather than the beginning, if you do not refuse me."

"Refuse you? Not a chance." Harry held his left hand out for Severus, and Severus slid the slim band of gold and emeralds over Harry's hand. It shrank to fit his wrist and set his hand glowing with golden light. Severus offered his hand as well, and Harry kissed his fingers before sliding the bracelet over them. Golden light glowed on his hand, too, and Severus blinked hard. 

Part of him hadn't believed it was real. And yet, they were officially courting and on their way to being bonded.

Harry dragged Severus into a passionate kiss, though he kept his tongue in check for the sake of the children. Severus cupped Harry's face and kissed him back, feeling as though he had stepped into a dream.

"I love you, too."

Severus rested his head against Harry's and chuckled at a round of cheers and whistles.

Rose murmured, "Oh, how _romantic_!" 

"Course it's romantic," said Jamie. "The man proposed with _Queen_. Doesn't get much better than that."

"I see now that my old man was a complete duffer, and I have no idea why Mum said yes," Hugo muttered. 

Severus and Harry buried snorts in their hands.

"There was starlight, and a bonfire, and music, and—" Rose sighed. "Oh, it's so lovely. It's like a fairy story!"

Lily cried, "Stowy, stowy!"

"A story with two princes," Hugo pointed out with a chuckle. "And the damsel in distress left to sulk in her tower."

"I'm taking notes," Teddy said with a grin.

Harry and Severus burst into laughter. 

"Merlin, I missed you all," Harry said after he pulled himself together.

"I am so happy to be a part of this family now," Severus murmured, overcome. "I love you all, and I will do my best to be a good papa for you."

"You already are," Jamie said with a soft smile. "I mean, come on! You can play _Van Halen_!"

Severus chuckled. "I am relieved my skills have proved so useful."

"Nabbed you a famous fiancé anyway," Hugo said with a grin. "Not too bad for your first haul."

Severus laughed till his sides ached. Merlin. He had never been so happy. He came up with tears on his cheeks, and Harry kissed them away.

"You're beautiful like this, so happy."

Severus buried his face in Harry's shoulder. "Thank you." It was for more than the compliment.

"You're welcome. Always welcome." 

Severus kissed him with slow, gentle devotion.

A small hand tugged Severus' sleeve, and he looked down to find Lily staring up at him and rocking on her heels. "Are you and Daddy mawwied now, Papa?"

Severus patted Lily's head. "Not quite. We are courting, and if your father agrees, we will be bonded as wizards when we are ready."

"Yes," Harry said with a grin. 

Severus snorted. "At least give me time to plan a ceremony. My silly Gryffindor, forever rushing in where angels fear to tread."

Harry chuckled and rested against Severus' chest. While the children chattered excitedly, Harry whispered, "Shame that tent doesn't have a private bedroom. I'd rather like to show my appreciation for that incredible proposal."

"It does have a bedroom, but it is not very secure." 

"Wards _are_ a thing that exists."

Severus swallowed hard. "True." He cupped Harry's head against him and ran his fingers through his hair. "The proposal was acceptable?"

"Bloody well perfect."

Severus kissed his cheek and sighed. "Yes. So it was." He wrapped Harry in his arms and held him against his side.

Harry squirmed. "You're brilliant and I adore you, but your guitar is poking me in the hip."

Severus whispered, "That isn't my guitar."

Harry laughed riotously, and Severus relished the sound of his joy.

* * *

Ginny woke to an empty room and an empty fire again. Three days. She had expected this would be over the first night, but three days had gone by, and nothing. Merlin. How much longer would she have to wait?

"Ginny." Molly entered the room, her eyes full of concern. "I received a reply from Healer Jordan. He has an opening Monday, and I've asked him to come here to speak to you."

Ginny gasped. "Mum! I don't need a mind healer!"

Molly's eyes flicked between the empty floo-side food delivery containers stacked beside the chair, to the pile of finished books on the coffee table, and to the piles of dirty clothes tossed around the room. Without a word, she sorted the mess.

"Ginny. Go shower. Eat breakfast with your family. Go outside. It isn't healthy to sit in one place for so long, and you're only going to end up hurt."

"I have to be here for him, Mum."

"Ginny. Harry is never coming back. Not to you. He's gay and completely in love with Severus, and you broke his heart repeatedly."

"No!" Ginny's lip twisted in a scowl. "No. That man is—"

"Severus is a hero, Ginny. A hero and a doting father and lover, and your delusions have blinded you to the truth." Molly gave her a stern look. "You _will_ be seeing Lee on Monday if I have to stick your bum to the chair."

"I don't need—"

Scratching at the window drew Ginny's attention. Oh, was it Harry? Had he finally come to his senses?

Her brief thrill of excitement faded at the sight of a familiar tawny and a rolled up newspaper clutched in his talons. She took the Prophet with a glum pout. How much _longer_?

"You do need a healer," Molly went on. "And you're getting one regardless." She turned on her heel and left before Ginny could protest.

Healer. Bah. She would just ignore him until he left. Shouldn't be too hard.

She unrolled the Prophet. A distraction would do her some good.

She stared at the front page in stunned horror and disbelief.

_Saviour's Ex Unbalanced; Friends Arrange Intervention at Christmas Party._

Ginny's own face scowled up at her from beneath the headline. 

She gasped and turned the page over as fast as she could. Oh, this was bad. She would never be able to show her face in public again. With a grimace, she skimmed the article and yanked the page over again. Merlin help her. They hadn't gotten a single detail right. They all painted her as a jealous bint out to destroy not just Harry, but _Snape_ , too. Didn't anyone understand she wanted to _protect_ Harry?

Ugh. The sooner Harry came home, the better. Then they could correct this nonsense and get on with their lives.

She skimmed for another article to read, anything to distract herself, and a photo caught her eye. A familiar man with black hair and a hooked nose bent over a case of jewellery.

_Master Snape Returns to Britain!_

The story said something or other about London welcoming a hero back home or some such rubbish, but Ginny could hardly focus on it. This picture had been taken yesterday, according to the date on the corner, and that jewellery—the jewellery Snape was searching so intently as to not notice a photographer snap a photo of a former spy—they were….

Bonding bracelets.

No. No, no, _no_! Harry was _hers_! It wasn't right for that awful man to be with him, but if Snape tricked him into bonding, that was it. Harry couldn't come home to her even when Snape's true colours finally broke through.

This was why Harry hadn't returned, why Snape had lasted so long. Merlin knew he could lie with the best of them, even the sycophants admitted that. Well, they called it 'acting,' but it came down to the same thing. And now, Snape had Harry believing they were in love. Then, once they were bonded—and he must be planning to do it fast, before anyone suspected anything—Harry's soul would be forever tied to Snape's. No divorce, no escape.

God. What an evil man. Cunning, but evil.

She had to save Harry. Right now, before it was too late.

Where to go, though? She didn't know Snape's address, and it was surely warded under _Fidelius_. She couldn't ask anyone then, but he had sent her mum a letter with the address recently, hadn't he? Well, Molly had threatened to ward it, but surely she couldn't know _all_ George's tricks.

Ginny summoned all of her best arsenal and tiptoed to her father's study, where Molly kept important documents. The door opened easily—hah, unlocked for once—and Ginny crept inside.

But her Father sat behind the desk, reading glasses perched on his nose and a pile of documents before him. He gave her a wary look.

"And what are you doing in my study, Ginny?"

"I…." She couldn't tell him the truth. They all thought her mad. "Just looking for a new book." 

Instead of the gentle smile she had hoped to see in response, Arthur's eyes narrowed.

"A book, or a letter?"

Ginny gulped. "A book, like I said."

"Hm. You won't find what you're looking for here, Ginny. We didn't trust it in the house at all. We destroyed it the instant we realised you would attempt to steal it and use it against Severus."

Ginny blanched. "No. I have to—don't you understand? Harry's in danger."

"Danger?"

"Snape is trying to trap him into a bond. See for yourself!" She threw the paper at her father. Arthur raised an eyebrow and skimmed the first page.

"Hm. Truth in the Prophet for once. How very odd."

Ginny scowled. "It's not true!"

Arthur said nothing and turned the page.

"There, right there, don't you see?" She jabbed the photo sharply. "Look. Just look what he's buying."

Arthur pushed his glasses up his nose and held the paper a bit away from his face. "Hm." He enlarged the photo and scanned it carefully. "Yes, it seems he's searching for a courtship bracelet for Harry, but how does that indicate a desire to trap him? Looks to me as though he's going about things the right way."

Ginny stamped her foot. "They're bonding bracelets!"

"No. Courtship bands."

"That can't be true, and anyway it still comes down to the same thing. Even if he takes his time, he's still—"

"Courting Harry, as many wizarding couples do."

"No! Don't you see? He's—"

Arthur stood and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Merlin. It's worse than we thought. Ginny, come with me."

Ginny hesitated. "You're taking me to Harry?"

Arthur paused. "Yes. Let's go."

He grabbed her hand, but the place he apparated her to was nothing like where she expected Snape to live. No dark, spooky manor or Spartan flat. No, this looked like a shop. An old, empty shop with a broken mannequin in the window.

 _St. Mungo's_!

"Arthur Weasley and daughter for the Janus Thickey ward."

"No!" Ginny broke away and apparated on the spot. No! She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't let Snape trick Harry into a lifelong bond. And if no one would help her, then, by god, she would track him down herself.

* * *

After a night of stories and laughter and counting constellations, Harry woke with a lighter heart than he had felt for longer than he could remember. If only his issues with Ginny hadn't cast a shadow over everything, he would be perfectly happy in this moment. He curled into Severus' side and buried his face in the man's messy hair. 

Severus blinked and turned to gaze at him. "Good morning, love."

Harry chuckled and rubbed Severus' cheek, admiring the way his bracelet caught the light. "So much for watching you sleep."

"Rather difficult to do to a man trained to wake at the slightest sound." Severus caught Harry's hand, and a soft smile transformed his features. "It wasn't a dream."

"Dream come true," Harry murmured.

Severus chuckled. "How cloyingly sentimental."

"You love it."

"I do." Severus kissed Harry lightly. "Mm. Much as I would love to lie in all day, we must rouse the children and be on about our business. You said Hermione and Ron agreed to watch them while we speak to Ginevra?"

"Yeah. Arranged it all last night when I was gushing to them over the magi-phone."

Severus nodded. "How did they take it?"

"Ron complained."

"He did? I thought…."

"Oh, not about _us_. He complained that you couldn't wait _two bloody days_ to ask me and now he's out ten more galleons. He should know better than to take George's bets by now. That man has a sixth sense or something, I'm telling you."

Severus snorted. "Noted for future reference." He sat and tugged Harry up with him. "Are you ready for this?"

"Merlin, no." He shuddered. "What will we tell her about Hugo's stunt?"

"As Hugo is not her child, she needs a brief summary and nothing more. He attempted a dangerous prank in effort to test me, but I was able to stop him in time."

"She won't be satisfied with that." 

Severus shrugged. "It is not our place to reveal it. Hermione and Ron may, if they choose. I do not feel comfortable sharing the details with her when she has made no secret of her hatred for me."

Harry hesitated. "Right. I wonder if we should bring a mediat—" He paused at a firm vibration against his hip. "Hang on. Someone's…." He pulled out his magi-mobile and frowned. "Dad? Hm." Harry accepted the call and pressed the phone to his ear. "Dad? What's up?"

"Harry, I think you two need to rethink that conversation you had planned with us earlier," came Arthur's worried voice. "Ginny saw an article about Severus in the paper welcoming him home, and the photo showed him browsing courtship bracelets. She's gotten it into her head he's trying to trap you into a bond. Combined with her behaviour over the past few days, I'm very concerned for her mental health and your safety."

Harry grimaced. "Merlin. Where is she now?"

"That's the trouble—I don't know. She tried to break into my study in search of the letter from Severus, the one with his address, but Molly and I destroyed it. She frightened me, if I'm honest, so I tried to bring her straight to St. Mungo's, but she escaped. I don't know where she is, but I know what she's up to, and I really think neither you nor Severus are safe anywhere near her."

"Damn." Harry rubbed his forehead. "Then I _have_ to contest custody, right now. And probably send a squad out after her."

Severus went rigid, but didn't interrupt.

"Honestly, I think you should, Harry. The squad—she's a danger to herself and others at the moment."

Harry sighed. "All right. We'll get Ron and Hermione to take the kids and go straight to Kingsley."

"You'll need Ron and Hermione to contest custody, Harry. You'll need as many supporters as you can get, and the children, too."

Harry nodded grimly. "Right. Then let me put a warrant out on her, and we'll gather what crew I can. Will you help me gather the others?"

"Right away. Good luck, son, and—oh! Merlin, I didn't even think. I hope I didn't spoil Severus' plans."

Harry flushed. "No, he asked me last night."

"Congratulations then."

"Thanks, Dad, but I better go. We've got a lot to do if we're taking her on today."

"Yes, you do. Watch your back, son, and Severus', too."

"Will do."

Arthur said goodbye and hung up, and Harry took his nervous partner's hands in his own. "It's Ginny. She's off her rocker and loose in Britain somewhere, convinced you're out to get me, of course."

"Merlin help us. You are going to have her arrested?"

"And brought to the hospital before she hurts someone, yes."

Severus nodded. "I will wake the children and begin a light breakfast. You take care of what calls you must."

Harry kissed him lightly. "Thank you, love. We'll get it taken care of." 

Severus nodded. "Then please do hurry and get that warrant called in."

"Yeah." Harry punched in the phone number to the DMLE dispatch. "Hey, Sandra, it's Sergeant Potter. I need an all-wands order on Ginevra Weasley right away…."

* * *

London wasn't as busy as usual this time of year, and the heavy snow had discouraged crowds of shoppers, but even so, enough people milled about Diagon Alley to make Severus nervous. He kept one eye on the passers-by and the other on his children—truly his by the end of this day. They had already finished with Kingsley and Harry's demand for emergency custody of the children, and now they had only to speak to the goblins concerning the theft of his inheritance before they could return home. Any other day, he wouldn't have worried about such a short trip, but with six children and six adults in tow, their party drew too much attention. Diagon Alley was too predictable, too. Severus expected to run into Ginevra at any moment.

Still, they had taken precautions. Harry walked at the head of the children, Ron and Hermione at his flanks. Draco and Neville walked behind the Weasley couple, and Severus stuck to the rear, where he could keep an eye on everything at once. Everyone was ready to fight at his command, but even so, he would feel safer once Harry and the kids were out of harm's way.

"You!" A flash of red hair, tangled and dirty, appeared out of the crowd, and Ginevra rushed towards their group with wild eyes. 

Harry sent a flare up immediately and spoke into his mobile, "Target acquired, apparate to Diagon Alley, Madam Malk—"

"Harry! Oh, Merlin, thank goodness I found you in time. Come on, get away from that man." Ginny made to grab Harry's arm, but he evaded her. 

"Ginny, I have a restraining order out on you and emergency custody of the children. You need to leave. Now."

Ginny gave him a heartsick look. "Oh, Harry, no. Don't tell me he's already poisoned you."

"Oh, stuff it, Mum," said Teddy. "Severus is good to us."

"Much better than you," Hugo added with a scowl. "He actually cares about us as people rather than toys to use to keep Uncle Harry trapped to your side."

"I'm not the one trying to trap him! Harry, look. He's trying to bond—"

A cold aura touched the edge of Severus' senses, and he shifted his focus from the ranting redhead to the shadow he had just seen darting through the alley. Oh god. In their worry about Ginevra, they had quite forgotten that _other_ threats still roamed the streets.

Ruthless, cunning threats that blamed Severus and Harry for their downfall and that of their lord.

And they would have seen the same article as Ginevra.

Severus whispered, "Harry, four o' clock."

Harry motioned to Ron, and the auror captain dashed to guard Neville's corner. 

Harry whispered, "What is it, Sev?"

"I fear some of my _former colleagues_ saw the same article that sent Ginevra mad. I sensed—"

Ginevra pulled on Harry's sleeve. "Harry, you can't listen to him! He's just trying to trick you into—"

Harry threw her off. "Quiet, Ginny! We need to focus. Where the hell are my aurors?"

"Coming, mate." Ron nocked his head towards the east, where a group of red-robed people had just come into view.

"Thank Merlin. Sev, do you still sense—"

"Harry! He's evil, you can't—"

"Enough!" He shoved her off again, but this time, she held onto his sleeve and revealed the flash of gold around his wrist.

"Oh, no. You—you're already bonded?"

"It's a courtship bracelet, Ginny. Now be _quiet_."

Severus sensed another flash of cold on his left and moved in to guard the children himself. Draco stood at his back. 

"I feel it, too," the younger man whispered. "Where are they?"

"Biding their—"

"Harry! You're wrong! He's bonded you, and now you're trapped!"

"Mum!" Jamie's shrill cry brought everyone in range whipping around to stare at them. "Stop it! Someone bad is here!"

Harry murmured into his phone, "Death Eaters in Diagon Alley, repeat, Death Eaters in the Alley. Minors and bystanders present. Red squad, get your arses in gear!"

The children gasped and huddled close. 

Jamie whispered, "D-Death Eaters?"

Draco rubbed his hair. "It's all right. We're protect—"

Ginny stamped her foot and grabbed Harry's arm. "Harry, come on. He's just trying to fool you. There's no one—"

"Enough!" Harry whirled on the woman. " _Incarcerous_! _Silencio_!" 

And that was the opening the enemy had been waiting for. Severus saw it the same instant, Harry's back turned and Ron facing the other direction.

And Albus Severus standing, oblivious, in the gap.

He moved without thought. Rushing through the air over the children's heads to land in front of the boy just as a brilliant green curse light cut the air. No! He flashed back to a dark night and a tower in the highlands. 

_"Severus, please."_

Oh gods, no! 

Reacting on instinct, he knocked the children and adults flat with a wave of pure, raw magic. It left him the only target standing, but he shifted to the side with grace born of both years on a dance floor and in combat alike. The spell missed his nose by millimetres and crashed into the shop front of Madam Malkin's.

Harry shouted, "Everyone _out_! AKs fired!" He cried the latter into his phone and leapt to his feet amidst a rush of screams and panicked retreats. "Sev?"

"I am fine. It is Rookwood, I think. He is good at hid—there!"

Severus took flight again and deflected a _Sectumsempra_ aimed for Teddy on the flat of a dagger he always kept hidden in his cuff. He landed just ahead of the children and caught a flash of black running between buildings. Without a word, he surged forwards through the air and caught the shadow by the back of the neck. 

"How lovely to see you again, Augustus."

The man struggled, but Harry was already there, binding and disabling spells at the ready. Rookwood went down, and Harry raced back into the alley just as the aurors arrived, all looking windblown and worried.

"Is everyone okay?" The female in the lead took over Rookwood's unconscious form. "No one was hit?"

"T-thanks to Papa," said a shaken Teddy. "He saved me and Al."

"He saved us _all_." Al dashed into Severus' arms. "P-Papa."

Severus held him against his side and smoothed his hair. "Shh. It is over. You are safe now."

Ron held Hugo in one arm and Rose in the other. "Y-you're sure, Severus?"

"All traces of dark auras are gone, and none of the remaining Death Eaters have this one's skills. Yes, I am sure."

"Oh, thank _god_ ," Hermione said with a sniffle. She caught her sobbing son into her arms and buried tears in his hair. "Too close. Twice we've nearly lost you in two days." She gave Severus a look of absolute gratitude. "I d-don't know what we would have done without you, Severus." She crashed into his chest and hugged him hard. "Thank you. Merlin, thank you."

Severus rubbed her back and tried to soothe her as best as he knew how.

"Get the kids out, Harry," the female auror said with a grateful look at Severus. Severus recognised her after a moment as Wanda Fawley, a former Ravenclaw ten years Harry's senior.

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Wan. You lot clear the Alley. I'll get Ginny to the green squad."

"Understood, sir."

Harry motioned to Rookwood. "Ron, will you and 'Mione…?"

"Well get this scum taken care of," said Ron with a scowl at the unconscious man. Hermione stepped back and wiped her eyes. "Right." She took a steadying breath. "Harry, we'll take care of your inheritance later. Just worry about the kids."

"Yeah, after this? Definitely. Sev, let's get the hell out of here and get them home."

Severus nodded and swept Al up onto his hip. Hugo buried his face in his other side, and Severus rubbed the boy's hair. "I am more than ready to leave. Children, stay close to me and to Harry."

Harry lifted Lily into his arms and patted the sniffling girl's back. "We need an escort."

"We'll take you and your family to the apparition point, sir," said a young auror with a wave at his companion.

"Thank you."

"We should be thanking you." Fawley gave Severus a salute. "If you ever want a place in the aurors, sir, we could use a man of your skill."

Severus looked at the boy hiding in his arms. "I think my future lies elsewhere."

She smiled. "Good luck then."

"Thank you." Severus took Teddy's hand and led his family away, a sobbing Ginny in tow.

* * *

Later that night, Harry lay in a makeshift bed in the living room floor with Severus and the children piled in around them. No one had felt safe to sleep alone, so Harry had suggested a sleepover party. Draco had brought Scorpius to join in as well, and all seven children had finally succumbed to the exhaustion of a day full of far too much excitement. 

"Merlin, what a day," Harry whispered. "Guess we started our courtship with a bang, huh?"

Severus suppressed a shudder. "Not the type of 'bang' I had imagined." 

"No, definitely not." Harry snuggled into Severus' side and kissed his cheek. "You're a fucking hero and I adore you."

Severus brushed their lips together and held Harry's cheek. "I am relieved I sensed him in time. It could have been so much worse."

Harry shivered and pressed his head into Severus' shoulder. "Yeah. She can't hurt them anymore, either." He looked up, green eyes dark with guilt. "Do you think it was my fault? Did I enable her?"

"Pet, you have never been anything but devoted. Ginevra's illness is not your fault."

Harry sighed. "It feels like it is."

"Because she made you the focus of her obsession, but it might have been anyone." He kissed Harry's forehead. "Do not blame yourself, pet. The past is in the past, and, either way, you bear no responsibility for someone else's mental health."

Harry looked around him with a frown. "Not Ginny's, maybe, but them—it's going to traumatise them, isn't it?"

"Hm. It might be wise to have your mind healer friend visit the children as well as Ginevra. Perhaps we might, at least, minimise the damage that way."

"Do you reckon we'll ever really be safe?"

"I don't know, pet. Perhaps we should move away from the United Kingdom. We would not be as noticeable in foreign countries."

"I…." Harry looked to Scorpius, curled up beside Al, to Hugo, nestled between the older boys, to Rose, who slept with Lily slumped over her chest. "We can't separate them. Look at them, Sev. Scorpius doesn't visit as often, but Hugo and Rose might as well be siblings with my lot. And Teddy—I can't take him away from Andi. He's all she has left." He turned into Severus' side and draped his arm over the man's stomach. "Besides, the kids are glad to be away from her now, but they'll eventually miss their mum." He grimaced. "And I honestly have no idea how to handle it."

"She cannot be trusted with custody."

"No, I agree, but she should still have visitation when she's more stable." Harry lifted his head and looked into Severus' eyes. "Do you think she ever will be stable?"

"If we stay well away from her. I think seeing either of us would be extremely detrimental to her recovery. Her children, however, supervised visitation should be helpful for her, once she can be trusted not to traumatise the children further."

"Yeah. Do you think she'll ever get to that point?"

Severus sighed and rubbed Harry's back. "It is difficult to say. She has built her entire life around a fantasy. Whether she has the strength to rebuild it now remains to be seen, but I believe so. I saw remorse in her eyes as the healers led her away. I think she will eventually decide that her children are more important to her than a pipe dream and make an effort to regroup. I could be wrong, but Ginevra showed incredible mettle during the last year of the battle, and you were not there to hold her up. So, I believe that inner strength will, eventually, overcome her illness."

"I hope you're right."

Severus kissed Harry and guided him into a gentle kiss. "For tonight, let us simply be happy that we have our family all around us, and no one will ever take them from us again."

Harry gave him a shy smile. "Some Yuletide, huh? A firefight, a break-in to your lab, several near catastrophes, a blizzard, a custody battle, and, of course…." He leaned down to whisper in Severus' ear, "Several instances of mind-blowing sex."

Severus chuckled softly. "The latter is my favourite part, though the snowball fights were a close second."

Harry smirked.

"Not _that_ snowball fight, silly man. I meant playing with the children."

Harry buried a snicker in Severus' neck. "Sure about that?"

"I suppose you could always try another round once we have a bit of privacy. For comparison's sake."

"Right. Purely for science."

Severus' lips twitched. "Indeed."

Harry buried a laugh in his chest, and Severus hid his chuckle in his hand.

"I guess we both had our lives turned upside down this year, but you know what?" Harry gave Severus a soft smile. "I'm so bloody happy about it."

"It is the best Yuletide gift I have ever received—a family and a home." Severus stroked Harry's cheek. "A home I would like to offer you as well."

Harry's eyes brimmed. "A-are you asking me to sell my flat and move in?"

"Absolutely. Stay with me always."

Harry kissed him with slow, gentle love. "Yeah. Always sounds good."

"Welcome home then, my Harry."

Harry curled up against Severus' chest and smiled. "Yeah. It's good to be home."


End file.
